Yu-Gi-Oh Arc V: Alternate Arc
by Mage of Hope
Summary: A rewrite of the anime but with many changes, including the new heroine of the story: Mitsumi Nazuno. A young girl who hides behind a shy façade and travels through dimensions for her friends using Ritual Summoning! Will include: Ritual Dimension, Dragon!Yuya, different endings, a third neutral faction, and much more! Themes include bullying, gore, and violence! OC x any boy!
1. Beginning

**As much as I wanna say that this is my first Arc V fanfic, this is actually my second since I already made another Arc V fanfic a long time ago. I've got experience writing down two other Yu-Gi-Oh fanfics, so that's something. But, in this fanfic, there's gonna be a lot of changes!**

 **Obviously, the ending to Arc V will be WAY different, as well as lots of other parts in this story relating to the anime! Like many people, I found it dissatisfying and hated it. I mean, Leo wasn't even punished for what he done! Granted, he probably was after the ending and we didn't see it, but still! I'm debating on whether to have him killed or arrested. Either way, he will receive retribution.**

 **I can't spoil much, but a LOT of more people are gonna be more involved with the Dimension War. I think it's pretty clear to people whom I'm talking about. More allies mean more power!~**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

Hearing the sound of her alarm going off alerted Mitsumi as she got out of bed, yawning tiredly before slapping the top of her alarm to shut it off before it could awake her grandmother. Getting up, she smoothed out her bedsheets as it took her less than a minute to make her bed before beginning her daily morning activities. After entering the bathroom, it took Mitsumi only a few minutes to brush her teeth and wash herself up before combining her hair, using the mirror as a guide to gaze at her appearance.

Her messy light blue hair was straightened out and was at hips' length, showing how long it was. Her bright amber eyes glanced up and down her reflection to check if her school uniform was alright before wearing a green ribbon headband; the ribbons resembling bunny ears to emphasize their cuteness. Satisfied with her appearance, Mitsumi headed downstairs towards the kitchen to cook up lunch.

Every single morning, she had to wake up even before the sun rose to cook and prepare any necessities for both her and her grandmother. Her parents weren't around anymore, so it was just her and her grandmother. Luckily for Mitsumi, her skill in housekeeping was so great, she might as well retire at an early age as a housewife, and cooking was part of her housekeeping skills.

Around an hour later, Mitsumi's grandmother, Aoi Nazuno, carefully made her way downstairs, being mindful of her weak body and age just like always. Age was affecting her body greatly, especially since she was still employed at this old age when someone like her should already be in a nursery home. Her nose caught the smell of eggs and vegetables as well as coffee by the time she was halfway down the stairs. It was always good for her granddaughter to do so much for her, but she really worried for the girl as Aoi should be doing the housework herself.

When she arrived at the kitchen, she saw Mitsumi pouring the coffee pot onto a cup before setting it down. She had turned off the stove and was about to place the cooked egg muffins from the pan into a plate when she spotted her grandmother. "Oh! Good morning, Grandma! Breakfast is almost ready, so please wait for a few more minutes!"

Sitting down promptly at the dining table, Aoi watched as her granddaughter finished the preparations for breakfast and made her way towards the dining table so that they could eat together. "Mitsumi-chan?" called out Aoi.

"Yes?"

"There's been a change of schedule at the flower shop, so I'll have to stay out a bit late at night due to a large amount of orders coming in. I'm sorry, but would it be possible for you to attend to making dinner for me? I know you have to deal with making lunch, but-"

"Oh, it's perfectly fine, Grandma," assured Mitsumi. "Would it be alright if we ate breakfast first before I start making preparations for dinner? That way, I can make any dinner you request of me!"

Smiling, the elderly woman patted her granddaughter's head. "Thank you. You'd make a fine wife to any cute guy out there."

"G-Grandma! I'm not looking for a boyfriend, right now! Besides, there are hundreds of girls out there way beautiful than me!"

What Mitsumi didn't know was that at her middle school, she was regarded as one of the most popular girls in school mostly due to her beauty and her shy personality which others found cute and alluring. Unfortunately, this drove up a lot of jealous attention from a bunch of girls, and Mitsumi couldn't count the amount of love letters she found in her shoe locker and how many guys she rejected.

"Well, if you are looking for a boyfriend, why not Yuya-chan or Gongenzaka-kun?" teased Aoi.

"It's pretty clear that Yuya and Yuzu like each other," replied Mitsumi. "And Gongenzaka...well, he doesn't have a girlfriend, and even though his father kinda wants me to be engaged with him, we don't really have any mutual feelings with each other."

The whole engagement part, Mitsumi had to admit, was partially her fault, because one time, when she and Gongenzaka hung out with each other in his dojo home while his father was sick, Mitsumi offered to cook up some meals for his father, and since then, his father had comically fallen in love with her cooking and personally requested her to be Gongenzaka's fiancée, much to the embarrassment of both of them.

Drinking her milk after finishing her share of the egg muffins, Mitsumi stood up and removed the empty dishes from the dining table, placing them in the sink and deciding to wash the dishes later. "Grandma, what sort of boxed dinner would you like?"

"A simple macaroni and cheese dinner will do," assured Aoi. "Will you be okay making dinner for yourself?"

Mitsumi nodded. "Yes. Is there any grocery shopping you'd like me to do?"

"Not today. Maybe a different time."

"Okay, then I'll get started for your dinner!"

Watching her one and only granddaughter cooking and doing a lot of the housework only made Aoi feel worse. She only wished she could do much more for her granddaughter, who followed every single one of her orders and chores without so much as a complaint. Yes, she knew that Mitsumi was doing everything she could to assist her and would be doing more by getting a job once she came of age, but Aoi wished she could grant her granddaughter anything.

* * *

 _Later, that morning before school..._

"Oh, come on, Yuzu! You have to admit, my Hippo is one of the cutest Monsters I've got!" said Yuya. "Way cuter than any of your Monsters!"

"Hey! Are you saying that my Monsters aren't cute?!" protested Yuzu angrily, ready to hit Yuya on the head with her infamous paper fan.

"Well, no! I mean, I haven't seen any of your Monsters that are on the cute level as mine, and I'm just making things worse, aren't I?"

"Yuya!" scolded Gongenzaka. "It is rude to simply cast judgement on appearances alone!"

"Thank you, Gongenzaka!" thanked Yuzu before glaring at Yuya. "See? Maybe you should be more like him, Yuya!"

"...Even if it is true."

"What?!"

"Waaaaaaaahhhhh!" Suddenly, a male student ran past the three, crying due to a heartbreak he just experienced.

"I'm sorry!" called out Mitsumi, who was standing near the school entrance. This pretty much happens daily in her life; if she didn't accept a love letter, a boy would confess and ask her out on a date, only for her to reject it as politely as possible. And this is usually the same result each time, but luckily for her, the number of confessions and love letters seem to decrease through time.

Walking up to Mitsumi, Yuya asked, "...Another one?"

Mitsumi nodded. "I'm...sorry you had to see that. Not the best way to start a morning."

"I'll say," agreed Yuzu. "How many boys this week was that, Mitsumi-chan?"

"Um...I don't really have a habit of keeping track. But, good morning, everyone. How are you?"

"We're okay, I guess," yawned Yuya before his eyes widened. "Oh no! I forgot my lunch! Gaaah! And I was so looking forward to eating the hamburger Mom made!"

"Nice going, Yuya," deadpanned Yuzu, annoyed.

"One should never forget their lunch, as it's part of a nutritious meal!" advised Gongenzaka, crossing his arms.

"Um..." Raising her hand, Mitsumi offered, "If you want, I...I can share my lunch with you, Yuya."

"YES!" cheered Yuya, embracing Mitsumi by the waist as he sank down on his knees. 'Thank you! No wonder a lot of guys like you! You're a lifesaver! I definitely owe you big time!"

"Mitsumi-chan, are you sure this is alright?" asked Yuzu. "I mean, I could have shared some of my food and-You know what? I'll share some of my food with you, Mitsumi-chan."

Touched, Gongenzaka declared, "I, the man Gongenzaka, will also happily assist in offering some food to Mitsumi!"

"Yay!" exclaimed Yuya, thinking he was going to be sharing a portion of their food as well. "Then, I'll-!"

"You don't get any," deadpanned Yuzu and Gongenzaka, not wanting Yuya to be spoiled. Plus, this way, he might learn his lesson and not make mistakes for next time.

"Awwww!" Despite Yuya's complaints, he knew he probably deserved it for not bringing his lunch. "Alright..."

Feeling bad for Yuya, Mitsumi attempted to cheer him up. "Um...If you want, Yuya, I can give you my lunch, and I can just share a bit from Yu-"

"No, Mitsumi," stopped Gongenzaka. "I know you're trying to help, but this is Yuya's punishment. He'll only get half of your food."

Mitsumi turned to Yuya, who sighed and nodded his head. "It's alright, Mitsumi. Thanks, but just the offer of you sharing your food is already enough."

"Okay..."

The four friends stepped inside and walked towards their shoe lockers in the locker room, where it's traditional for students to change into indoor school shoes so that their outdoor shoes don't track mud or anything else into the clean school floors.

However, when Mitsumi opened her shoe locker, she found that her shoes were... _utterly ripped and destroyed._ The indoor shoes she used were torn to shreds, and she had a pretty good idea who had done it. A bunch of female bullies who were jealous of her. This isn't the first time she's been tormented by them, and this meant that she would have to get yet another pair of indoor shoes at the school store.

Yuzu, whose locker room was behind Mitsumi's, managed to put her indoor school shoes on before turning around and spotting the destroyed state of her shoes. "Oh, no! Mitsumi-chan! Your shoes! They're ruined!"

"What?" Both Yuya and Gongenzaka rushed over to Mitsumi's side and gasped. "Who could have done such a horrible thing?!"

"N-Now, let's not assume things," said Mitsumi, not wanting to get them involved in her problems. "For all we know, maybe something happened and someone accidentally switched my shoes with their own! I mean, we all wear the same kind of shoes."

"Hmm...It is true that we shouldn't be quick to assume things," agreed Gongenzaka. "But regardless, we must do something about this situation! We don't even know whose shoes these belong to! How dare someone switch their own destroyed shoes with your own?"

"Well, I guess we'll never know," said Mitsumi. "Look, I'll wear the shoes and explain the situation to my homeroom teacher, so you guys don't have to worry. I appreciate your concern, but I think this'll all be resolved if I get some new shoes."

"Grrr…! I'm totally gonna use my fan on whoever switched shoes with you!" growled Yuzu, holding up her paper fan.

 _'Their anger is justified, but I'm just glad they believe my lie,'_ thought Mitsumi, sweatdropping as she put on her ruined shoes. "Well, I'll see you guys at lunch, okay? The rooftop as usual, right?"

"Yup! See ya later!" called out Yuya as he, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka headed towards a different direction, as the four of them attended different classes, with Yuzu and Yuya being in one class, and Gongenzaka in another.

Mitsumi's classroom was in a different classroom apart from her friends and in a separate direction, which is where she headed for her morning classes. Upon entering, she sat down in her desk and waited for class to begin. She couldn't just tell her homeroom teacher about the real reason why her shoes were messed up, because she didn't have any evidence to back up her claim that her bullies did this, and she didn't want to cause anymore unnecessary trouble.

When she sat down, that was when she finally noticed the cruel writing scattered all over her desk meant for her. They were insults written in black marker, such as "slut," or "bitch" and much worse. The hard part is that it was hard to wipe such writing off her desk since it was made of permanent marker, so it would take a while to clean.

Just as Mitsumi was starting to become comfortable, she heard some thud clapping and a rain of chalk dust showered onto her head. Shortly afterwards, some snickering could be heard from the sides as Mitsumi knew what had occurred. It seems Kokoro and her two bully friends decided to clap dirty chalk erasers onto her head...again.

Coughing from the chalk dust, Mitsumi waited for them to stop before looking up at the three sneering girls. "Ah...Good morning, Fujimaki-san, Kanon-san, and Reijou-san. What can I do for you?"

Irritated by her lack of reaction, the girl called Kanon slammed her hand against Mitsumi's now chalk dust-covered desk. "Hey! Why aren't you saying anything?! We just sprinkled chalk dust all over your hair! Get mad!"

 _'And entertain you? I don't think so,'_ thought Mitsumi, staying calm before shaking her head. "But...I did say something. I said good morning to you all. Isn't that enough?"

Apparently, Mitsumi's good-natured response managed to tick off the girls even further as Reijou slapped the side of Mitsumi's head. "Ugh! You think you're smart, you know-it-all?! You're a skank, you know that?! You think just because you're so much prettier and more popular than any of us, you can do what you want?!"

 _'What are with these baseless accusations! It's not like I chose to be popular!'_ Mitsumi thought right before the bell rang, indicating class was about to begin.

During class, everyone was silent and only talked whenever the teacher asked them a question, but other than that, they mostly listened and took notes on the lessons presented before them on the chalkboard.

"Mitsumi Nazuno, please come here and write down the answer to this question," ordered the teacher.

"Yes, sir." She stood up and headed towards the chalkboard before turning to her teacher, who was holding the chalk and looking at her with a stern expression. Nom, his attention was directed towards her ruined shoes, which she had forgotten until now.

"Again, Nazuno? This is the third time this month that you've come with torn shoes! Are you trying to get yourself into trouble?! Get some new shoes from the school store or you'll be in even more trouble!"

It was bad enough that she had ruined shoes, but the fact that the teacher scolded her in front of the whole class took embarrassment to a whole new level. Her face flustered red and she looked away as she heard students snickering behind her back. "I-I'm sorry..."

The teacher sighed and handed her the chalk. "Here. Solve the problem, then head towards the bathroom to clean that dust off your head. And don't take too long!"

Nodding, Mitsumi glanced at the problem, relieved she could understand the equation. As soon as she set the chalk down, she headed straight to the bathroom to wash up. Heading for the sink, she turned on the faucet and drenched her hands with water before smoothing her long hair up and down. Within a few minutes, she managed to clear the chalk dust off her hair before returning to class in time to hear the bell ring for lunch. Not wanting to deal with her bullies, she grabbed her lunch and rushed out.

Walking up the stairs towards the rooftop, Mitsumi stepped onto the third floor when all of a sudden, three sucker-tipped darts hit her on the cheek. Startled, she nearly dropped her lunch before removing the darts off her cheek.

"Oh! If only you had turned your head a bit, I would have hit you in the forehead!" said a familiar voice.

"Sawatari-san!" said Mitsumi, bowing her head at the approaching, handsome boy, who took back his darts. "How are you?"

"Oh, I've been having a swell day!~" sang Sawatari, twirling one of the darts with his fingers. "They're definitely a lot cuter and smarter than you!"

"You said that to me before."

"Yeah? Well, I just felt like I wanted to say that again, moron!~" Shingo poked Mitsumi's forehead various times, causing her to flinch.

Shingo and his lackeys, who weren't here right now, were another group of bullies that Mitsumi had to constantly deal with everyday, though compared to the female bullies, Shingo and his group were a minority. She didn't know why they liked teasing and bullying her, but she never really hated nor liked them.

"Mitsumi!" called out Gongenzaka, entering the third floor. Spotting Shingo, he thought that the rich boy was teasing Mitsumi again and pulled her behind him, glaring down at him as his large figure loomed over a slightly frightened Shingo. "Have you been bothering Mitsumi again, Sawatari?"

"N-No! That's not it!" protested Mitsumi. "He just came to say hi!"

Shingo nodded frantically. It was one thing to corner Mitsumi alone, but with her and her giant, looking friend who looked like he could easily pummel him, he'll take the easy route out. "Y-yeah! You know what, my friends are calling for me, so I'm just gonna go!"

After Shingo left, Gongenzaka turned to Mitsumi and said, "Luckily, I was on my way to the rooftop when I spotted you and Sawatari together. You weren't covering for him again, were you?"

"No, no! He really did say he wanted to say hi!" assured Mitsumi. _'Although he was about to start his usual bullying routine. Not that anybody had to know.'_

When both Gongenzaka and Mitsumi arrived on the rooftop, Yuzu and Yuya were already sitting down in their usual spot. Yuya was lying on the ground, all curled up and wrapping his arms around his stomach while Yuzu was calmly eating her lunch right next to him.

"Yuzu...! Please feed me...!" complained Yuzu as his stomach grumbled.

"No. You have to wait until Mitsumi-chan gets here."

"Yuya! Yuzu! We're here!" called out Mitsumi as she and Gongenzaka walked up to the two.

Wrapping his arms around Mitsumi's waist, Yuya let out tears of joy. "Waaaah! Yes! Thank you, you're a lifesaver, Mitsumi!" Once everyone settled down to eat, Mitsumi handed her lunch over to Yuya, who eagerly opened it...only to reveal a salad lunch within. "Ehhhh?! Salad?! Noooo!"

"Hey, you reap what you sow, Yuya," reminded Yuzu as she tore part of her hamburger and gave it to Mitsumi in a napkin.

"Yes, like you were promised, you were given lunch. Now, eat your share!" ordered Gongenzaka, handing a red bean bun.

Whimpering, Yuya sulkily began to eat his salad. It wasn't that bad, but he would have preferred anything other than salad since it contained some of his least favorite vegetables. Mitsumi sweatdropped and patted him on the head before eating her share of lunch. For the rest of the lunch break, the four friends chatted amongst themselves as time passed.

* * *

 **Hopefully, this is real good for a beginning! Yes, no duel was made this chapter, and I was thinking maybe I should do a duel in the next chapter! Only thing is, I dunno who Mitsumi should duel. Yuya, Gongenzaka, Yuzu, or so on. I'll let you guys decide in the reviews!~**

 **Also, this does take place way before the official first episode of Arc V, so it'll take a while to get there. That said, read and review!**


	2. Challenge Accepted!

**Glad to see that quite a lot of people like this fanfic, already! This makes me eager to put up the duel I promised! And now, lo and behold, you'll get to see what sort of deck Mitsumi-chan uses, if the book cover hasn't already given you a hint.**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!~**

* * *

"May the best duelist win!" encouraged Yuzu as she was paired up against Mitsumi for a practice duel in the courtyard of the You Show Duel school area.

"R-Right! I also hope you do your best!" said Mitsumi.

Yuya was excitedly watching the duel from behind a glass window alongside Shuzo, who was more than eager to start the duel as he pressed a button, which activated one of the Field Spells held within the Solid Vision System; Sun Valley.

The girls' surroundings disappeared into a large canyon-like environment with barely any lifeforms, no water sources, and the sun was shimmering down upon them like it was a hot sunny day.

 **"Duelists locked in battle!"** shouted Shuzo through the microphone, starting things off.

Yuya called out, "Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!"

"They storm through this field!" chanted Yuzu. "Behold! ...Mitsumi-chan!"

"Gah! I'm sorry! I forgot my line!" apologized Mitsumi, sweatdropping.

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling! That's all you had to say!"

"Okay, okay! Next time, I'll be more careful!"

"Fine..."

"Come on! Get the duel started!" whined Yuya, who wanted the duel to end as quickly as possible since it was going to be his turn next.

"Acccctttttiiiooooonnnnnn….DUEL!" both female duelists shouted in unison as a flurry of cards above them burst and scattered all over the Sun Valley.

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Yuzu - 4000 LP**

"If it's okay with you, I'll start things first," said Mitsumi.

Yuzu nodded. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead."

Looking at the cards before her, Mitsumi wondered what to do before snapping her fingers. "Okay! I set two cards facedown and also set a Monster facedown before I end my turn!"

"Mitsumi, it's obvious that you laid down two Traps for me. I'm not dumb! You played that last time we dueled," said Yuzu, mildly annoyed as she drew her card. "I now activate the Spell, 1st Movement Solo! This lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Melodious Monster from my hand if I control no Monsters! I Special Summon Serenade the Melodious Diva!"

Serenade the Melodious Diva - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (400/1900)

"Because of her effect, she can be used as two Tributes for a Fairy-Type Monster! I sacrifice her in order to Tribute Summon my ace Monster, Mozarta the Melodious Maestra!"

Mozarta the Melodious Maestra - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV8 - (2600/2000)

"Due to her effect, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Melodious Monster from my hand! Come, Opera the Melodious Diva!"

Opera the Melodious Diva - (LIGHT/Fairy) - LV4 - (2300/1000)

"As you already know, Opera can't attack on the turn she's Normal or Special Summoned, but that's not gonna stop me from attacking with Mozarta this turn! Now, I play the Quick-Play Spell, Mystical Space Typhoon, and destroy one of your set cards!"

"I activate my Trap, Imperial Order!" declared Mitsumi. "Now, as long as this card's out on the field, you can't activate any Spells on the field because this card will negate them!"

"...Mitsumi," spoke up Yuzu. "You do realized you could have activated that when I was activating my first Spell, 1st Movement Solo, right?"

"Er…"

"That, in turn, would have stopped me from Special Summoning Serenade! Technically, I still would have been able to summon Mozarta, and vice versa, but you couldn't have activated that earlier?!"

"Sorry! Won't happen again!" said Mitsumi, knowing Yuzu was only scolding her to help her improve. _'Good, don't want to draw too much attention to myself,'_ she thought.

Yuzu sighed. "Alright. I attack with Mozarta!"

Mozarta raised her baton and fired a laser from the tip of it, blasting away Mitsumi's facedown Monster, which happened to be a Monster called Gishki Ariel.

Gishki Ariel - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

"Gishki Ariel's effect activates!" shouted Mitsumi. "Due to her Flip effect, I can add a Gishki Monster from my deck to my hand! I...um...choose Gishki Avance!"

"...Mitsumi! You should have taken this chance to add one of your Ritual Monsters to your hand!" Yuzu scolded.

"Right, right! Sorry, sorry!"

"Alright, I end my turn with a facedown! Just do a better job during your turn, alright?"

Mitsumi nodded. "My turn! But, before I draw, I activate my Trap, Solemn Wishes! Now, my Life Points increase by 500 for every card that I draw! I draw!"

 **Mitsumi - 4500 LP**

 **Yuzu - 4000 LP**

"Ah, ah, ah! Remember, the effect of your Imperial Order, right?" reminded Yuzu, wagging her finger. "Either you pay 700 Life Points during your Standby Phases, or that card's destroyed!"

"Hmm...I guess I'll destroy it!" decided Mitsumi before her Imperial Order card shattered. "Thanks to that, I'll be able to Ritual Summon this turn!"

"Yeah, there you go!"

"Yay! Go, Mitsumi! Defeat her!" cheered Yuya.

Glaring at Yuya, who flinched from her look, Yuzu scowled, "Hey! While I understand you want to take her side, you're going to be next on my list!"

"I can't pick sides!~" sang Yuya, innocently holding up his hands. "Besides, you refused to share your lunch with me."

"That was days ago! And it was to teach you a lesson not to forget your lunch or other things at home!"

"Not enough to let me choose your side!~"

While Yuya and Yuzu were bickering, Mitsumi took the chance to hurry and grab an Action card by attempting to climb up a wall, which an Action card was attached to the top of the canyon. Only by having her hand slipped and falling back to the ground did Mitsumi manage to grasp Yuzu's attention once again.

"Ah! I forgot it was still Mitsumi's turn!" cried out Yuzu before looking up the top of the canyon to see an Action card. "Were you trying to grab that Action card?!"

"Uh...I mean, it seemed like the most ideal choice at the time," admitted Mitsumi. "But since you and Yuya stopped arguing, I guess it's time for me to continue my turn. I activate the Ritual Spell, Gishki Photomirror! Now, I get to Ritual Summon a Monster from my hand using Monsters whose Levels are equal to the Ritual Monster I'm about to summon! I sacrifice Gishki Avance and Gishki Chain in order to Ritual Summon Gishki Levianima!"

Gishki Levianima - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (2700/1500)

"...Wait a second. Doesn't that Ritual Spell require you to pay Life Points equal to the level of the Ritual Monster summoned times 500?" questioned Yuzu.

"Oh...Dang it."

 **Mitsumi - 500 LP**

 **Yuzu - 4000 LP**

"Mitsumi!"

"I'm sorry! It was the only Ritual Spell I had in my hand! There's no way I had any other Monster that could go up against your Mozarta!"

"Then, switch to the defensive for now! Jeez, even I wouldn't pay such a high-risky card like that!"

Mitsumi sighed. "Well, what's done is done! Now, I attack your Moz-"

"No, no you can't," stated Yuzu.

"W-Why not?"

"I activate my Trap, Musical Mayhem. This card deals 800 Points of Damage for every Melodious Monster I control. I control two, so that makes it a total of 1600."

Two jolts of artificial lightning struck down on Mitsumi as she shrieked in pain before falling to her knees.

 **Mitsumi - 0 LP**

 **Yuzu - 4000 LP**

 **Winner: Yuzu**

The Action Field disappeared soon after Mitsumi's defeat, with Yuzu walking over to her friend and offering her hand. "Well, I guess you improved your dueling since the last time we dueled."

"Ah...right. I'm still trying to beat you and Yuya, after all."

 **"And that's the end for today's class!"** declared Shuzo. **"Both of you girls did a fine job, today!"**

"Awww! I wanted Mitsumi to win! But, I guess Yuzu did a good job," pouted Yuya before muttering the last part. "Not as good as me, though."

"I HEARD THAT!" yelled Yuzu, stomping over to the other room as fast as she could.

"Yeep! Gotta go, Principal! Bye!"

Mitsumi and Shuzo watched, sweatdropping as they watched Yuya being chased by Yuzu once again. Exiting the courtyard room, Mitsumi approached Shuzo and informed him, "Oh, Principal? Before I leave, I wanted to inform you that since we have a bit too much chili peppers back at home, Grandma wanted me to give you some tomorrow."

"Oh, well tell your grandmother thank you! Chili peppers are my favorite vegetables! They always keep me all fired up! Too bad Yuzu doesn't like them due to their spiciness," sighed Shuzo; the heated spirit within him depleting from the knowledge that his own daughter doesn't exactly share the same exact firey spirit like him.

"Oh...I'm sorry. I mean, I don't like spicy food a lot, but I still eat my vegetables," assured Mitsumi, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll be sure to drop them tomorrow after school, so have a good day, Principal!"

"Okay! Have a good day to you, too!"

After leaving the school, Mitsumi peered her eyes at the blue skies, which was slowly changing into light colors of the sunset, indicating how late the afternoon was. She had to hurry home so that she could pluck out more vegetables and fruits from her garden to use for food tomorrow and to deliver to Shuzo. It was bad to do so during the night since she doesn't have a source of light, which was why she had to hurry.

 _'I wonder what sort of delicious dinner I should cook tonight?'_ thought Mitsumi, humming herself a small tune as she walked down the sidewalk. _'I already had salad before, so maybe I should make some sort of soup tonight! And maybe I can create some new fruit dessert tonight if I have the time!~'_

"Heh, you play with these puny cards? Pathetic! If you play with these weak-ass cards, then you're nothing more than a weakling duelist!"

Startled by the sudden harsh tone, Mitsumi turned towards the direction of the voice and saw a familiar-looking boy tormenting a young child by lifting the child's deck above his head, giving him a taunting smirk while the child was crying out for his deck.

She recognized the boy as Gen Ankokuji, one of Yuya's bullies that took some opportunities to bully Yuya. Sometimes, she saw Gongenzaka defending Yuya during those times, but this time, it seemed that Gen's new target was a little boy. Deciding to do something, Mitsumi marched over, and while Gen was distracted, she swiped the deck away from him and held it close to her chest, backing away from Gen.

Noticing quickly that the deck he held was gone, Gen whirled around, instantly infuriated. "Hey!"

Quickly, Mitsumi rushed past him and took the child's hand, leading him a fair distance from Gen before handing him his deck back. "Here you go," she said, patting him on the head. "You should probably get going."

The child smiled and nodded. "Thanks, miss!" Not wanting to mess around with the bully, he left the park as quickly as possible.

"What gives?! I was simply giving that kid some dueling advice!" shouted Gen.

 _'If by advice, you mean insulting and bullying him,'_ thought Mitsumi, turning around and narrowing her eyes at him. She remained calm and said, "Uh...I don't think that's really the case. Taking someone's deck and insulting them doesn't seem to be helping."

"Nobody asked for your opinion! That's it, since you pissed me off, I'm challenging you to a duel!"

 _'He's really annoying me, so I'll just ignore him,'_ Mitsumi decided mentally, walking away.

"Heh, what's the matter? Too cowardly to face a strong and awesome duelist like myself?"

While continuing to walk away, Mitsumi thought, _'Why is it that most people give into taunts like that? It's like they're begging for trouble.'_

Gen scoffed. "Whatever. That Yuya kid's not gonna be much of a challenge if I take him on next."

Immediately, Mitsumi stopped in her tracks and glanced behind her shoulder, giving him a cold glare. "...I can't pretend I didn't hear that. If it's a duel you want, then it's a duel you'll get."

Normally, Mitsumi was known by her friends as kind and shy, but right now, in situations like these, an aspect of her true personality, one as cold as ice, has shown a bit of light in the situation. Right now, she was focused on making sure Gen's target was her and only her.

"Now we're talking!" said Gen, now taking out his duel disk and strapping it to his wrist.

Mitsumi did the same and awaited for the duel to begin. Now wasn't the time to hold back, now was the time to strike back when possible!

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Gen - 4000 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"I'll show you what happens when you make fun of my friend," promised Mitsumi.

"Try saying that to me after I've won!" crackled Gen confidently. "My turn! Heh, I play the Spell, Feast of the Wild LV5! Now, I get to Special Summon 2 Level 5 Warrior-Type Monsters from my hand, but both of their effects are negated! Come, Lava Battleguard! Swamp Battleguard!"

Lava Battleguard - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV5 - (1550/1800)

Swamp Battleguard - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV5 - (1800/1500)

 _'If he Special Summoned two Monsters, he'll either use them as a Tribute Summon or Xyz Summon a Rank 5 Monster,'_ thought Mitsumi, preparing herself.

"I sacrifice these two Monsters in order to Tribute Summon Battleguard King!"

Battleguard King - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV8 - (3000/1100)

"I set one card and end my turn! Try and beat my Monster now!" challenged Gen. _'Even if you do bring out a stronger Monster, I'll just activate Battleguard Howling, which will target the Monster attacking my Battleguard, then return that Monster back to your hand, and then you get hit Effect Damage equal to the Attack Points of the Monster sent back! No matter what, this is a sureway victory for me!'_

"My turn, draw!" said Mitsumi. "I summon Gishki Abyss!"

Gishki Abyss - (WATER/Fish) - LV2 - (800/500)

"Ha! What can that puny fish guy do to my Battleguard?" laughed Gen.

"Gishki Abyss' effect now activates! When he's summoned, I get to add 1 Gishki Monster with 1000 or less Defense Points from my deck to my hand. I choose the Ritual Monster, Gishki Zielgigas!"

"Ritual...? Oh, this is just too pathetic! Nobody uses Rituals anymore!" Gen taunted. "They're practically the most useless Summoning ever!"

"You wanna bet?" said Mitsumi. "Besides, I'm not done with my turn, yet. Just let me show you how 'useless' my Ritual Summoning is. I'll take you out in an OTK..."

"OTK...?"

"One Turn Kill."

"Ha! Like you could eve-"

"I activate the Ritual Spell, Gishki Aquamirror! Now, I get to Ritual Summon any Gishki Ritual Monster whose Levels are equal to the Monster I plan on Ritual Summoning. I sacrifice my Gishki Zielgigas to bring out my second Gishki Zielgigas!"

Gishki Zielgigas - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV10 - (3200/0)

"Go ahead and try it! I dare ya!" said Gen.

"I activate Gishki Zielgigas' effect. Once per turn, I pay 1000 Life Points to draw a card, reveal it, and if it's a Gishki Monster, I get to shuffle 1 card from the field to the deck."

 **Gen - 4000 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3000 LP**

"Draw!" After drawing the card, Mitsumi turned it over, revealing Gishki Ariel. "Perfect! The card I drew was a Gishki Monster, and now, the conditions are set! I shuffle that Battleguard King of yours back to the deck!"

Growling, Gen did what she was told and was left utterly defenseless, save for his set card. "Damnit, damnit, damnit!"

"I activate the Spell, Break Stream, and target Zielgigas. Break Stream makes it so that when Zielgigas attacks, you can't activate any Spells or Traps until the end of the Damage Step. If you were planning on using your set card, you're sorely mistaken. Now, attack him directly, both of you!"

Both of Mitsumi's WATER Attribute Monsters nodded towards one another before charging forward and knocking back Gen, who was forced to be dealt direct attacks from the two Monsters, thus depleting him of his Life Points.

 **Gen - 0 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3000 LP**

 **Winner: Mitsumi**

Deactivating her duel disk, Mitsumi sighed in relief. At least now, this'll teach Gen a lesson not to underestimate what appeared to be the weak and helpless-

"YOU!" Gen stomped forward and grabbed Mitsumi by the collar of her uniform shirt and jacket, holding her light body up in the air as Mitsumi struggled to break free. "What sort of cheat codes did you use?! I-"

"STOP!" Suddenly, Gongenzaka appeared out of nowhere and shoved Gen away, causing him to release Mitsumi, who fell to the ground like a doll with her strings detached. Gongenzaka stood in front of Mitsumi, shielding her as he glared at Gen. "I knew that you hated losing, but I didn't think you'd try and hurt a girl out of anger for it! It's dishonorable to attack those you've lost to, and even more disgraceful to harm a girl!"

Too angered over his loss, Gen turned around. "Tch! Whatever! Today was just a fluke! I wasn't feeling myself today! I'm leaving!"

"Ow..." coughed Mitsumi, rubbing her throat. "Thank you, Gongenzaka. I'm sorry for any sort of trouble I may have caused you."

Helping Mitsumi to her feet, Gongenzaka checked to make sure Gen didn't inflict anymore physical harm to her body. "It's alright. Are you hurt? Did he do anything else? I only just arrived to see the outcome of the duel."

"I'm okay...Really, I am! Um...if it's okay, could you escort me home? I don't feel comfortable walking back with Ankokuji-san still out there. Plus, our homes are close, so-"

Gongenzaka smiled and nodded. "Of course! I couldn't agree more!"

Throughout their walk home, Gongenzaka and Mitsumi merely chatted like the good friends they are, slowly forgetting about the events that happened before.

* * *

 **I hope this is a good job! I thought the first duel may not satisfy you, so maybe the second one would! Read and review!**


	3. Heated Water

**Sorry for waiting for a while, but I'm back to add more friendliness and fluff before the start of the anime!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs.**

* * *

Sweating buckets, Mitsumi was currently picking fruits and vegetables in the large garden outside of her house. It was a hot day with the temperature possible going over 100 degrees, but that didn't stop Mitsumi from doing her daily chores like collecting plants from the garden.

 _'Grandma is working hard at the flower shop and is suffering from the heat worst than me!'_ thought Mitsumi, wiping sweat off her forehead. _'I'll give her a slice of that cold tart I baked earlier! But first, I have to finish up this work!'_

Mitsumi and her grandmother always took extra care of this large garden, since it not only produced flowers, but also food on which they depended on that strengthened their bodies and helped them grow healthy. Her grandmother was the first to start the tradition of gardening in their family, and Mitsumi, who was a little interested, often helped her, thus producing bountiful food every year.

A few hours later, Mitsumi finished her fieldwork, although she was dripping sweat head to toe and clearly needed a cold bath. Her red face indicated she was ready to pass out at any moment. She hit the bath as soon as she could, relaxing and feeling temporary relief as she basked in the cold water, preferring the cold over the hot at the moment.

Once she finished her cool bath and changed clothes, she picked up her phone only to discover a couple of missing calls coming from Yuya right before another phone call from the tomato-haired boy rang. "Hello-?"

 **"MITSUMI!"** whined Yuya from the other line. **"Why didn't you call me?! I called you sooooo many times! I'm BURNING hot now!"**

Mitsumi sweatdropped. "Um...I was busy with chores. And I just took a cold shower."

 **"Lucky! Mitsumi, duel meeeee!"**

"And how exactly will dueling make you feel better?"

 **"Because, I won't be bored! And your WATER Monsters will splash cold water over me even if they're holograms! Somehow, that works, I don't know! I'm HOT!"**

 _'So, it's mostly him wanting to unleash my Monsters on him on purpose,'_ thought Mitsumi. _'Well, I do need to brush up on my dueling skills, so I guess it's alright.'_

"Alright, I'm coming over," said Mitsumi, going to the kitchen to grab some raspberries, placing them in a basket to carry them.

 **"Yay! You're a lifesaver, Mitsumi! Let's meet up at You Show Duel School!"**

* * *

 _Later..._

"IT'S SO HOOTTTTT!"

"Then take off that jacket, Dad! Seriously, why do you wear sweats in the middle of the heat?! You'll get heat stroke!"

Yuzu was arguing with her father, trying to force him off his jumpsuit as he weakly protested it was to keep his "hot-blooded" spirit up, when he was only exhausting himself. The two of them were currently inside the You Show Duel School, enjoying the air conditioner inside as theirs broke in their own home. They had just recently got inside , but compared to the other air conditioners in other places, the one inside the school was weak.

Entering the room were Yuya and Mitsumi, who were sweating and panting, obviously rushing all the way to You Show Duel in hopes of receiving some air conditioner. Feeling the cool breeze made the two of them sigh in relief as though they stepped through an oasis.

"Made...it...!" gasped Yuya.

"I bought snacks," commented Mitsumi, placing the basket of raspberries down on the table.

"Yuya? Mitsumi? What are you guys doing here?" asked Yuzu.

"Yuya wanted to duel me because he wanted to get soaked by my WATER Monsters," replied Mitsumi.

"So...hot!"

"That's...kinda a rude way to take advantage of your kindness like that," commented Yuzu.

"Oh, no! I already agreed to duel him," assured Mitsumi. "Besides, I'm feeling a bit feverish myself, so I don't mind dueling him if it means cooling down."

"Water! Water background! I don't care which one! Please let there be water!" pleaded Yuya, wiping sweat off his forehead.

Yuzu sweatdropped. "Uh...you do realize that water Field Spells usually result in WATER Monsters getting a huge boost up, right?"

"I don't care if I lose! As long as I get hit by water, I'm fine with losing!"

Mitsumi, who was fanning a fainted Shuzo with some pieces of paper that was laying on the table, turned to Yuzu. "Yuzu-chan? It's alright. If you want, I can duel you next."

Yuzu was the least hot out of the four of them, but she had to admit that if she was in Yuya's position, she would practically beg for the same thing, just like her father obviously would, given his current condition. "Fine, fine. I'll start up the Solid Vision system. Just go to the courtyard, and I'll start it."

Once the two duelists entered the courtyard, Yuzu activated one of the water-related Action Fields; Umi, in which all Fish, Sea Serpent, Thunder, and Aqua Type Monsters would automatically receive 200 Attack and Defense Points while Machine and Pyro Types be reduced by 200 Attack and Defense Points.

Once Umi was activated, a large wave of water rushed onto the field and splashed all over Yuya and Mitsumi, refreshing their bodies with the cool water which allowed them to breath and swim underwater. Yuzu felt jealous and wished to join in the duel just so she could be refreshed as well, but she had to maintain the Solid Vision system. Oh well, at least she had a basket of raspberries to cheer her up!

"DUEL!"

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Yuya - 4000 LP**

"I was wondering," spoke up Mitsumi. "Who goes fi-"

"You!" pleaded Yuya, swimming around and basking in the coolness of the Umi Action Field. "I need MORE! Hit me! Hit me hard!"

Mitsumi and Yuzu sweatdropped, unsure what to comment on Yuya's words. **"Yuya, you sound like some sort of masochist! Get your head together!"** yelled Yuzu through the microphone.

 _'I'm not sure if I would have said it better myself,'_ thought Mitsumi. "O-Okay, Yuya. I guess I'll go first. I summon Gishki Mollusk to the field and end my turn!"

Gishki Mollusk - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (1700/900)

"Oh, and I guess thanks to Umi, he gets a bonus 200 extra Attack and Defense Points."

Gishki Mollusk - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (1900/1100)

 _'With the boost from Umi, Mitsumi's got the strongest Monster on the field right now. I wonder how Yuya's going to get outta this one,'_ thought Yuzu, sweatdropping when she saw Yuya simply swimming around in bliss.

"Yuya! It's your turn!" called out Mitsumi.

"Oh, right, right! Sorry! My turn! Okay! I summon Entermate Thunderhino!"

Entermate Thunderhino - (LIGHT/Rock) - LV3 - (200/1800)

"I set a card and end my turn! Now, hurry up! Hit me with your best shot!"

"R-Right..." said Mitsumi, drawing her card. "I activate the Ritual Spell, Forbidden Arts of the Gishki! Now, I can Tribute Monsters anywhere on the field whose total Levels equal the Level of the Ritual Monster I plan on summoning! But in exchange, the Ritual Monster's Attack Points are halved and I can't attack this turn! I use Thunderhino on the field, and...uh...Wait, Field? Not...hand?"

 **"Mitsumi-chan...Don't tell me that you were thinking of using the Monsters in your hand to use your Ritual Spell?"** questioned Yuzu, sounding annoyed.

"Um...yes?"

 **"Idiot! Idiot, idiot, IDIOT! Read the text on your card carefully! If it says only on the field, then it's only on the field! Not in your hand!"**

"Waaah! I'm sorry!"

Yuya tried to calm the situation down. "Hey, now...Mitsumi, why don't you restart your turn? It was just an honest mistake, after all."

Mitsumi nodded. "Okay, thank you, Yuya! Okay...I summon Gishki Natalia to the field! And due to Umi, her Attack and Defense Points increase by 200!"

Gishki Natalia - (WATER/Spellcaster/Spirit) - LV4 - (1800/900)

Gishki Natalia - (WATER/Spellcaster/Spirit) - LV4 - (2000/1100)

"Hmm...I could use my Ritual Spell, but instead, I'm going to attack! Gishki Mollusk, attack Thunderhino!"

Brandishing his two blades, Gishki Mollusk swam straight at Thunderhino with great speed, having great experience with the water, while Thunderhino tried to swim away, only to fail as the two blades swung and hit its target.

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **Yuya - 2400 LP**

"Awww! I didn't get hit with a splash of water!" complained Yuya, watching Mitsumi swim around in search for an Action Card.

 **"What?! Yuya, did you get hit on purpose and didn't use your set card for more water to splash on you?! You idiot!"** shouted Yuzu.

"Yuzu, it is hot and I am in desperate need to get splashed!"

"Um...I'd like to continue the duel, if that's okay," commented Mitsumi, picking up an Action Card she just discovered from behind some kelp. "I activate the Action Card, Aqua Boost, giving Natalia 500 extra Attack Points until the end of the Battle Phase!"

Gishki Natalia - (WATER/Spellcaster/Spirit) - LV4 - (2500/1100)

Yuya glanced at his set card, then back at the dueling field before coming to a decision by spreading his arms wide. "Yes! Hit me! Come on! I'm soooo hot!"

 **"Yuya, you do realize that if you take this direct attack, you will lose, right?"**

"I don't care! I neeeed water! Come on, Mitsumi! Hit me!"

Mitsumi sweatdropped, hesitating for a moment. "Uh...Okay! Gishki Natalia, attack Yuya directly!"

Gathering water magic as water was basically surrounding the field, it was easier for Natalia to use a large amount of water magic before firing it in the form of a fireball, only instead of fire, it's just filled with water that Yuya gladly embraced.

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **Yuya - 0 LP**

 **Winner: Mitsumi**

After the Action Field disappeared, Yuya was laid sprawled on the ground, satisfied despite losing, while Mitsumi looked over at him with an annoyed expression.

 _'I know I should be happy that I won for a change, but it still kinda annoyed me that he let me have the win just so he could feel refreshed,'_ thought Mitsumi. _'Oh, well.'_

"Whew! Thanks, Mitsumi!" cheered Yuya, grinning as he sat up. "I really needed that!"

"...But, you lost."

"Eh, doesn't really matter! I-" Just before he could finish, his duel disk started ringing as his mother's name was displayed on the screen. "Alright, hang on. Hey, Mom!"

 **"Yuya! Get back home! You are in so much trouble!"**

Yuya's surprised expression changed to complete pale as though he just realized something. "Oh, no! I totally forgot I was supposed to take care of Core, En, Kilo, and Watt today! Oh, man! I gotta get back home! Bye, guys!"

After Yuya shot up and left, Yuzu called out to Mitsumi through the intercom. **"Mitsumi, why don't you go with Yuya and make sure he gets home safely? Knowing him, he'll probably collapse from the heat again. I gotta stay and take care of my Dad."**

Mitsumi nodded and ran after Yuzu. "Okay, bye-bye, Yuzu!"

* * *

 _Later..._

"Sorry about this, Mitsumi-chan!" apologized Yoko, opening the door for Mitsumi as the blue-haired girl carried a fainted and overheated Yuya piggy-back style.

While Mitsumi accompanied Yuya to return back home, he couldn't handle the heat and became so flustered, the heat got to his head and he collapsed, causing Mitsumi to panic and forcibly carry him back home. Upon entering, Mitsumi laid the sweaty Yuya on the couch while Yoko placed an electrical fan near Yuya to help him cool down.

"It's alright, Sakaki-san," assured Mitsumi, taking a paper towel from the kitchen, drenching it with cold water, and then proceeding to wipe the sweat off Yuya's face. "Yuzu knew this might happen, so she asked me to take him back home. You should be thanking her instead of me."

"Even so, I have to thank you for carrying my son back."

"May I ask something, Sakaki-san?"

"Please, Mitsumi-chan, you can just call me Yoko."

"...Okay, Yoko-san? What did Yuya do to get in trouble?"

Yoko sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "I just got back from work and I saw a bunch of poop laying around the living room. Days like these, Yuya was supposed to look after the pets, but he just ran off to have fun. I mean, I can understand him still being a kid, but he still needs to go with his responsibilities!"

"Oh...Do you need help cleaning up the poop?" asked Mitsumi, offering her help.

"No, I already cleaned it up by the time you arrived with Yuya. En, Core, Kilo, and Watt are all taking their afternoon nap, and I want to eat something refreshing and cool but we're all out of ice cream and I don't wanna go out into the hot weather to get some and it'll melt and aaah!" Conflicted, Yoko started rolling around the ground as Mitsumi watched awkwardly.

 _'...Like mother, like son, I guess,'_ she thought, heading towards the kitchen to check the refrigerator. _'Hmm...I can make a snack like this, but I guess I'll need permission, first.'_ "Yoko-san? How about I make something cold?"

Almost instantly, Yoko rushed to the kitchen super-speed style, pinning Mitsumi against the kitchen table. "You can make something like that?! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!~ You're an angel, Mitsumi-chan! Your cooking is really good! Please marry into the family!~"

 _'Why does people want me to marry into their families?! First, Gongenzaka's father, and now Yoko-san?!'_ thought Mitsumi. "Okay! Okay! You're a little too close, Yoko-san! Well, I guess the cooking would go a lot faster if you help me, please."

"Of course! I'll be happy to help!"

With Yoko's help, both girls successfully baked some pudding tarts which they then stored into some space inside the refrigerator. Not only did they bake pudding tarts, but they served themselves fruit smoothies to fight against the heat. Yuya had woken up from his heated nap thanks to the fan and was served a fruit smoothie.

Mitsumi knew she wasn't the best duelist around, and that she only won the duel thanks to Yuya practically throwing the match, but it was moments where spending time with friends and family truly was the best and was more important than some dueling.

* * *

 **Not really much of a duel, I know, but hey, it was pretty good and showed more Gishki! That said, read and review! I'm not gonna do the anime right now, but I ask for any...I dunno, filler chapters to make things interesting?**


	4. Backstory

**Since you're all going to be confused and wondering about Mitsumi's backstory, I might as well put it in this chapter right here and now. After that, I wish for you all to give me some really good filler chapter ideas! If, by any chance, that I can't think of any good ones, then I'll skip ahead to the anime!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"Yuya! I'm totally going to defeat you in this duel!" shouted Yuzu. "And when I win, you better buy me a new milkshake!"

"Alright, alright!" said Yuya. "But if I win, you buy me a milkshake!"

"Grrrr! Fine!"

"Um...Gongenzaka? What happened?" wondered Mitsumi, looking at Gongezaka, who sighed and shook his head. "I just got here, so...?"

"There was an accident involving Yuya making Yuzu spill her drink and well...this happened."

"So...what should we do?"

"Die, Yuya! I activate this card!"

"Well, I activate this card!"

"Then, I activate this card!"

"Then, I activate this card!"

"Then, I activate this!"

"...Might be best to let this play out," answered Gongenzaka.

Mitsumi nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right. If all else fails, I guess I can buy the both of them milkshakes myself."

Gongenzaka smiled and patted her on the head. "You're too kind, Mitsumi. You don't have to do that."

"Ahaha...I know."

Mitsumi wasn't kind. She knew that deep within her heart, but still maintained that smile every single day. Sure, she was willing to help others and be the peacemaker in her small group of friends, but she always knew that she wasn't kind.

No, she always thought of herself as worse.

It all started when she was a child. Her parents were Pro Duelists, and they expected their only child to be just like them; beautiful, strong, intelligent, and so forth. They had no money problems, and in fact, Mitsumi used to be rich, but what she absolutely desired was her parents' approval and love.

But even with all the money and fame they had, her parents couldn't provide her that much.

Instead, they held too much expectations for a child her age. They forced her to stay up late to study more, improve her dueling, become a proper lady, and many more that would obviously put too much pressure on a child. Whenever she got a problem wrong, messed up a move, lost even a few Life Points, she was punished and forcibly disciplined, making her somewhat like an obedient robot meant to do her parents' bidding. She had be strong, both mentally and physically, so she could be prepared in Action Duels where luck and skill were everything.

They sometimes took her with them to dueling tournaments to watch them duel and set an example as how a Pro Duelist duels someone as elite as powerful as their rank. Because of her rigorous training, she became a talented and skilled dueling prodigy, not just from the blood of her Pro Dueling parents.

If Mitsumi cried, she'd get punished. If she made a single mistake, no matter how small, she'd still get punished. If she got a problem in her homework wrong, she'd still get punished as well. Everything she did had to be of upmost perfection. Her parents were pretty much planning her whole future without her consent.

Hatred doesn't even begin to describe the feelings she had for her parents.

No, she absolutely _loathed_ them. There were many times where she wished they were gone, be it mysterious disappearance or death. She wanted to have friends and have a normal life, but no, her parents wanted, no, were forcing her to be just like them; arrogant perfectionists who cared about fame and money.

They had her participate in children tournaments, going up against other child duelists, and she won every duel. Every opponent she faced was far too arrogant, too simple to read, and always commented on the strong surpassing the weak. But that's what made it easy for her to beat them. Not just their inexperience in dueling, but their stupid, annoying, arrogant ways which always ticked her off.

One time, when she went against a kind duelist who was none of those traits, she hesitated and threw the match for him, watching him reunite with his parents and happily cheer with them for his victory. However, her parents were nothing like the kind boy's parents, as they gave her a severe punishment for losing.

For a child her age, she was perhaps one of the strongest duelists in the world in terms of child age, but she never wanted to be the strongest. All she wanted was love, love that her parents never gave her even to the bitter end.

Perhaps the first one to ever introduce her to love was her kind-hearted grandmother. She knew her grandmother argued to her parents about their cruel and unfair treatment towards her, but even so, her grandmother couldn't persuade them to change their minds and be kind to her. Even so, Mitsumi was grateful that her grandmother stood up for her, even if she failed to convince her parents.

One day, her parents left to head for a dueling tournament in Germany, but on their way there, they got into an accident which cost them their lives. Her grandmother grieved for their deaths, but Mitsumi herself?

She simply _smiled._

Mitsumi wasn't sure when the first time she smiled, but she clearly remembered that when she heard the official deaths of her parents, she was gleaming with happiness. Perhaps it was relief that her parents could no longer do anything to her? No more punishments, no more harsh training, no more staying up late to extend training. The people who made her like a robot were gone, no longer able to do anything to her.

Mitsumi's smile that day was pure and full of happiness. Thinking back on that day, if she smiled in a scenario such as passing a grade, or getting ice cream, she would understand, but no.

She smiled at the death of her parents.

Nobody knew, not even her grandmother, and honestly, Mitsumi was relieved that she never told her grandmother what she was feeling that day. During the funeral, it took everything out of her not to stomp disrespectfully on their graves with a huge grin on her face. Instead, she remained silent, unmoving, emotionless.

Because her parents were dead, her only living relative was her grandmother, so all rights were given to her grandmother, who cared for her deeply and made sure she was healthy and well-fed. Because her grandmother sold the large house her parents owned, they lived off the money sold afterwards for a long time until her grandmother had to get a job to provide for Mitsumi and herself.

Mitsumi didn't mind their living conditions because all she wanted was love, and her grandmother gave her more than enough of that. It did take a while, but she was able to become friends with Yuya, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka, whom she considered them all as her best friends. She warmed up to them throughout the years, but as a result of her harsh conditions when she was with her parents, she grew up shy and quiet, which her friends didn't mind, luckily.

Still, some traits remained within Mitsumi. For instance, she still maintained her strong strengths in dueling, but she managed to put up a façade of pretending she was a weak, third-rate duelist who didn't know anything because she didn't want to draw attention to herself. She actually was physically strong in strength and acrobatics because of her training with her parents as well as doing errands and gardening for her grandmother, but she pretended to be frail and weak to put up the impression that she was weak. She didn't care if it meant she would become weak, because all she cared about was her grandmother and her friends. They mattered more than some stupid dueling.

Another thing was that she despised arrogant people who thinks the weak should be trampled down, such as people who thinks certain cards are weak. She refused to acknowledge that sort of ideology, and if necessary, would like to trample down on those who think such things. Bullies are no exception, which is ironic considering that she's been bullied ever since she was young.

The reasons why she was being bullied was simple; she was becoming beautiful and elegant. In fact, many in middle school tried to go out on dates with her, especially Shingo, but she always declined out of politeness and sometimes because some of those people were the very same arrogant people she despised. Some girls bullied her because of her increasingly beautiful looks and smarts, but she didn't want to bring any trouble to her grandmother or her friends, so she simply smiled and endured it all. That didn't stop her increasing resentment towards her bullies.

Shingo...she couldn't exactly figure him out. She didn't know if she liked him or not, but out of all of the bullies, he had to be...the nicest? Sure, he still bullied her from time to time, but he always had the time to flirt and compliment her and he never once hit her. His goons were also nice to her to some extent, but always insisted that she date him. Because she didn't want to bring trouble, she always politely declined his advances and was always nice to Shingo.

Her friends sometimes state that she's the cutest in their group, as well as beautiful, but Mitsumi refused their claims and always complimented Yuzu to be much more cuter and beautiful than her, saying she herself doesn't deserve the credit. Though she enjoyed the compliments, Yuzu still thought Mitsumi to be cuter than her and vowed to get Mitsumi a boyfriend someday.

Most of the pain from the past faded away, but there were sometimes flames inside her heart that lingered on even after years of spending with her grandmother and friends. They further increased whenever she dueled an arrogant bully or sometimes, someone worse, and she had to be careful not to draw attention, because if it were revealed that she was actually a strong opponent in dueling, her reputation would further increase as well as the bullying.

Her true nature while dueling was...cold and calculating, like a machine. She was merciless in her moves, just like she was taught. Completely the exact opposite to when she put up a façade while dueling, while during that time, she pretended to be hesitant and often lost in that nature. When dueling truthfully, mercy wasn't in her description, and she would always find a way through.

Before, she used an insanely strong deck to win her fights, but now, she stuck to just her Ritual deck called Gishki. She always favored WATER Attribute decks, and Gishki seemed fitting for a supposed weak person like herself. Out of all the Summoning methods, many people considered Ritual to be the weakest and worthless because of its tough conditions, but Mitsumi wanted to prove them wrong by being one of the few Ritual users.

Mitsumi is self-conscious. Yes, she was shy and quiet, as well as willing to help out her friends and provide them support like cooking for them or giving them fruits and vegetables time after time, but she never once thought of herself as kind. She thought that her true nature when dueling seriously prevented her from thinking she was kind.

Maybe when more time has passed and the past was forgotten, she would be properly healed. Perhaps then, she would actually get a boyfriend. It was pretty obvious to anyone that Yuzu and Yuya liked each other, and because of that, Mitsumi wouldn't go after Yuya. Maybe when they're older, she and Gongenzaka could go out on dates, or maybe she would date Shingo or some other boy.

"Yay! I won! You owe me a milkshake, Yuya!"

"Awww! Heart of the cards, why have you failed me so?!"

But for now, she was going to enjoy life the way it is. Taking care of her grandmother, passing tests at school, avoiding bullies, hanging out with her friends, and so forth. Even if she ends up being a weak duelist for life, she didn't mind that one bit.

However, what she failed to predict was that this peace wasn't going to last forever.

* * *

 **Finished! Read and review! If you have any questions or ideas, please tell me! See ya! Night, night!**


	5. Foreshadowing Songs

**Okay, so I decided when the anime series will take place, and I decided that...next chapter is when the whole anime thing starts! Oh, by the way, thanks Ulrich362 for suggesting the karaoke idea to me!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs! She also doesn't own any of the songs, as all songs belong to their original artists and singers!**

* * *

"Remember, kids! We've only got this room for about two hours for free! Let's make the most of it!" informed Yoko, sitting down on a couch. "I'll order some food and drinks as well! Just tell me what you'll choose from the menu!"

"Okay!"

"Yes, Mrs. Sakaki!"

"Alright!"

"Mmm! I can't wait to try this one out!"

Because Yoko won a free five-person karaoke night ticket at a fancy karaoke bar from a small lottery, she decided to invite not only her son, but her son's friends to spend the night singing. Well, the ticket was only up until two hours, but during that time, they could sing in a private room with nothing but karaoke songs filling the room.

After ordering some food and drinks, the group was all set to sing songs with refreshments waiting for them after each song. "Alright, so who wants to go first?" wondered Yoko.

"Gimme the mic! I have a song I totally wanna sing!" shouted Yuzu, grabbing the microphone.

"No! My Mom got us a free room for two hours! So, as her son, I get to sing first!" said Yuya, yanking the microphone away from her.

"...Does it really matter? I mean, we're all going to sing eventually," spoke Mitsumi, sipping on her juice through a straw. "Well, um...I'm not really going to sing, at least. I'm...not a really good singer."

Both Yuzu and Yuya glanced at one another, grinning before they appeared on each side of Mitsumi, who blinked in confusion. Suddenly, they grabbed her by the arms and dragged her forward towards the mini stage.

"H-Hey! Guys! No! I don't wanna sing!"

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Yeah, I wanna hear you sing!"

"Noooo! I'm going to be terrible! I never really sung before!"

In the end, though, Yuzu and Yuya managed to finally persuade Mitsumi into singing at least one song of her own choosing. Flustered, Mitsumi scanned through the songs, wondering which song to choose from until she came across a song called, "Mirror, Mirror."

 _'That song title reminds me of Snow White. Maybe it's a short fairy tale song, like Mary and the Little Lamb!'_ thought Mitsumi before selecting the song just as the song began with a quiet piano melody. The lyrics soon popped up on the screen, prompting Mitsumi to read and try to catch up to the rhythm of the melody, which she found comforting despite its slow and fast tempos.

 _Mirror, tell me something..._

 _Tell me, who's the loneliest of all?_

 _Mirror, tell me something,_

 _Tell me who's the loneliest of all?_

 _Fear of what's inside me;_

 _Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?_

 _Mirror, mirror, what's behind you?_

 _Save me from the things I see!_

 _I can keep it from the world,_

 _Why won't you let me hide from me?_

 _Mirror, mirror..._

 _Tell me something..._

 _Who's the loneliest of all?_

 _I'm the loneliest of all..._

Mitsumi's voice and tone during the entire song was soft, but held a firmness that was both strong in a soft sense. At first, she seemed nervous while on stage, but since her attention was focused on the song and melody, the shyness faded away from her body, revealing her soft singing. Perhaps it was the nostalgic song, because Mitsumi felt relaxed from the song.

"...Mitsumi-chan!" cheered Yuzu, hugging her best friend from behind. "You have such a wonderful, cute, soft voice! Kya!~ That was so cool!"

"Yeah! Awesome! Five stars!" agreed Yuya.

Glancing at the screen, Gongenzaka mentioned, "Um...Guys? The song's not over yet."

"Eh?!" Mitsumi swiftly turned to the screen and complained, "Oh, come on! It was embarrassing enough! Do I really have to sing the second part?"

"Come on, Mitsumi-chan! A deal's a deal!"

"Oh...fine. Just...take a seat."

 _Who am I to complain?_

 _My life's been spared so much pain_

 _Born with all that I need_

 _My comforts all guaranteed_

 _So what's the problem?_

 _What's keeping me_

 _From moving forward_

 _It's hard to see._

 _I should be fine now_

 _I should be fine_

 _But the life I fought for_

 _Still isn't mine._

 _Some believe in fairy stories_

 _And the ghosts that they can't see_

 _I know that I could do so much_

 _If I could just believe in me_

 _Mirror, mirro_ r

 _Tell me something_

 _Can I stop my fall?_

 _Years of scorn will leave you cold_

 _'Forget your dreams do what you're told'_

 _When disapproval's all you're shown_

 _The safest place becomes alone_

 _And isolation's_

 _The price you pay_

 _And every friendship_

 _Is pushed away_

 _But bit by bit now_

 _A step each day_

 _I'm slowly starting_

 _To find my way_

 _Some believe in fairy stories_

 _And the ghosts that they can't see_

 _I know that I could do so much_

 _If I could just believe in me_

 _Mirror mirror_

 _I'll tell you something_

 _I think I might change it all_

By the time Mitsumi finished, her face was flustered from the pressure of some people watching her sing as part of her shyness returned halfway through the song, but she did enjoy the second song. Just as she was silently basking in her enjoyment, her friends applauded for her, causing her to quickly sit back down and cover her red face with her hands.

"Aww, it wasn't that bad, Mitsumi-chan!" assured Yoko. "I thought you were lovely up there!"

"Gaaah! I'm never singing again! It was so embarrassing!" cried out Mitsumi, still covering her face. _'Still...that song...felt nice. Almost like it was a part of me or something...'_

"I, the man, Gongenzaka, will be the next to accept the singing challenge!" declared Gongenzaka, grabbing the microphone as he made his way to the stage to select a song.

"Awww! I wanted to be next!" pouted Yuzu.

"Oh, well. Show us what you got, Gongenzaka!" cheered Yuya as the melody from the selected song started. Gongenzaka was happily tapping his foot to the beat of the song as the lyrics scrolled up the screen.

 _You aren't concentrating_

 _Your body is still hesitant_

 _Even if you control it, you will get caught_

 _If you keep trembling like that_

 _Even the sun and moon_

 _Are not in favor of your way_

 _"It's make or break it"_

 _I persuaded like that._

 _The situation may look grim_

 _But it's cowardly to just run away_

 _You can't predict how things will end_

 _But all you can do is just to keep on advancing_

 _Keeping your impulses in check_

 _Explore the gap between you and your target_

 _The only thing you need is_

 _The pride to win_

 _Are you going to taste the sweet goblet of victory_

 _Or the bitterness of defeat?_

 _They are just_

 _The two threats of fate which I wish to manipulate_

 _The perfect Golden Time_

 _Seize it with those hands_

 _With the poker face of all_

 _You can easily finish it_

 _By dragging it to_

 _The world of illusion!_

 _This endless pressure game_

 _Slip out of it_

 _This glorious borderline_

 _To jump over it_

 _How many?_

 _How many reparations must be made?_

 _Exactly what do you want to possess?_

 _Evidence supersedes argument_

 _Whoever shows the results first is the victor_

 _Silence is gold_

 _If you can't keep the secret you will get caught_

 _Refine your senses and_

 _Carefully read how it flows_

 _What are the winning chances of now?_

 _The thing that will make you win is_

 _The game sense of reality_

 _Is that hiding shadow a demon?_

 _If you are a guy_

 _Challenge it without fear, even expect death_

 _During adversities, clap your hands_

 _To cheer yourself up_

 _With that brilliant fighting style_

 _Attack the unexpected_

 _Attention! It's dangerous!_

 _Go beyond the limits!_

 _Carve the greatest fairy tale into history_

 _To show the moment of complete victory_

 _Are you ready?_

 _Get rid of the indecisiveness and_

 _Go up the stairs of Babel_

 _Your goddess-like smile_

 _Fascinated by your charm_

 _Lured in like this, I fall_

 _The desires settled in my heart_

 _Swelling up unlimited dreams_

 _No one can stop me!_

 _The perfect Golden Time_

 _Seize it with those hands_

 _With the poker face of all_

 _You can finish it easily_

 _By dragging it to_

 _The world of illusion!_

 _This endless pressure game_

 _Slip out of it_

 _The glorious borderline_

 _To jump over that_

 _How many?_

 _How many reparations must be made?_

 _During adversities, clap your hands_

 _To cheer yourself up_

 _With that brilliant fighting style_

 _Attack the unexpected!_

 _Attention! It's dangerous!_

 _Go beyond the limits!_

 _Carve the greatest fairy tale into the history!_

 _Snatch the victory on the verge of defeat_

 _Finish it magnificently!_

 _Do you know?_

 _Fate is loot_

 _Bask in the glowing sunlight at the top of Babel_

After the song slowly faded away, Gongenzaka gave a firm nod to himself, smiling as he had accomplished singing his song to his friends as they applauded for his performance. It filled him with vigor and a more newer determination to improve his Steadfast Dueling style.

Though the group still had plenty of time before their time was up, both Yuya and Yuzu were the only ones who didn't get to sing...yet.

Immediately, they charged towards Gongenzaka, tackling him to the ground as they made flimsy attempts to grab the microphone, arguing and fighting with each other to see who would get the microphone as poor Gongenzaka ended up being the victim of their fighting.

Mitsumi stood up, worried. "S-Shouldn't we get them, Sakaki-san?"

Yoko, who was drinking something, shook her head. "Nope, just let them be. It'll be over soon."

"I GOT IT!" cheered Yuzu, holding up the microphone in her hand as she stood over a defeated Yuya, who slumped and dragged an unconscious, beaten, victimized Gongenzaka with him to sit down.

"See? What'd I tell ya?"

 _The feelings I kept deep inside_

 _Are now screaming at the top of their lungs_

 _Trying to voice our now infinite vow!_

 _I've wandered all my life_

 _Relying on a whim and that has led me astray_

 _Light has become my foe_

 _Defying everything while my future fades away_

 _Tonight the moon invites me to the night sky_

 _But my lips hesitate to voice a reply_

 _But even so I'm screaming from the depths of my heart_

 _The feelings I kept deep inside_

 _Are now screaming at the top of their lungs_

 _Trying to voice our now infinite vow!_

 _My strength has brought me this far but if I only had a little bit more_

 _My aim would be an endless blue sky bound by no limitations at all!_

 _And when tomorrow reaches out once again_

 _I'll hear its beckoning call!_

 _I'll listen to my heart whenever I'm in doubt_

 _Since it's never skipped a beat_

 _While searching for our dreams_

 _I'll never miss a step because you're guiding my feet_

 _Tonight the light that's shining in the night sky_

 _Fills me with pain because I know I can't fl_ y

 _But even so I'm still yearning from the depths of my heart!_

 _The world that was so dark around me_

 _Has been transformed by pure blinding light_

 _Always and forever shining on me!_

 _You need a dreamer's heart in order to find the sky that's waiting for you!_

 _And when the doubt inside is fading away_

 _The sky will open for you!_

 _Inside my heart and memory you linger_

 _I'll never let this chance slip through my fingers_

 _You give me strength so if I feel I can't break through_

 _I'll think of you!_

 _If somehow light becomes your foe_

 _And you're once again immersed in the dark_

 _Know that the love in your heart knows the way!_

 _The feelings I kept deep inside will call destiny to open the skies!_

 _And as the heavens call out I know I'll find_

 _The path that leads me to you!_

 _The feelings that I kept deep inside_

 _Are now screaming at the top of their lungs!_

 _Trying to voice our now infinite vow!_

 _My strength has brought me this far_

 _But if I only had a little bit more_

 _My aim would be a endless blue sky bound by no limitations at all_

 _And when tomorrow reaches out once again_

 _I'll hear its beckoning call!_

Wiping sweat off her forehead, Yuzu stood proudly as everyone clapped for her wonderous singing performance. Yuzu walked back to the refreshments and took a deep gulp of some water before handing the microphone to Yuya, who's yet to have his turn. "You...Your turn. Beat that."

"Oh, believe me, it's on!" said Yuya, accepting the challenge by taking the microphone and standing in the stage, trying to find a good song to sing. "Hmm...Too catchy! Too metal! Too Disney! Too pushy! Too '80s! Too white! Too Japanese! ...I don't even know what sort of song this is! Ugh, might as well pick a random song. Okay!"

 _Under the knife I surrendered_

 _The innocence yours to consume_

 _You cut it away_

 _And you filled me up with hate_

 _Into the silence you sent me_

 _Into the fire- consumed_

 _You thought I'd forget_

 _But it's always in my head_

 _You're the pulse in my veins_

 _You're the war that I wage._

 _Can you change me?_

 _Can you change me?_

 _You're the love that I hate_

 _You're the drug that I take_

 _Will you cage me?_

 _Will you cage me?_

 _You're the pulse in my veins_

 _You're the war that I wage._

 _Can you change me?_

 _Can you change me?_

 _From the monster you made me_

 _This is the world you've created_

 _The product of what I've become_

 _My soul and my youth_

 _It's all for you to use_

 _If I could take back the moment_

 _I let you get under my skin_

 _Relent or resist?_

 _Seems the monster always_ _wins  
_

 _My heart's an artifice, a decoy soul_

 _I'll lift you up and then I'll let you go_

 _I've made an art of digging shallow holes_

 _I drop the darkness in and watch it grow_

 _My heart's an artifice, a decoy soul_

 _Who knew the emptiness could be so cold?_

 _I've lost the pieces that could make me whole_

 _I am the darkness_

 _I'm the monster_

For the next couple of hours, everyone enjoyed themselves and sang to their heart's content, unknown of the fate awaiting for them in the future.

* * *

 **"Mirror, Mirror Pt. I and Pt. II" from RWBY, sung by Casey Lee Williams.**

 **"Golden Time Lover" from Fullmetal Alchemist, sung by Sukima Switch.**

 **"Innocence" from SAO, sung by Leeandlie. Link: watch?v=X0ue4VZ0Nv8**

 **"Monster" by Starset.**

 **Hey, guys! The reason why I did a karaoke chapter wasn't just for filler, but also the fact that these songs foreshadow what's to happen to each other these characters. Mitsumi and her lonely life, Yuzu and Gongenzaka finding themselves and seeking ways to grow strong, and Yuya...becoming a monster.**

 **With that said and done, read and review!**


	6. Swing Into Action!

**Now, it is time for the anime adaptation! Hope you all were waiting for this!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

Sakura blossom petals fluttered around the air with the soft breeze as two Monsters stood side-by-side, armed in both offense and defense alongside their owner, Gongenzaka.

Superheavy Samurai Blue Brawler - (EARTH/Machine) - LV4 - (0/2000)

Superheavy Samurai Swordsman - (EARTH/Machine) - LV3 - (1000/1800)

"I sacrifice Superheavy Samurai Blue Berawler and Superheavy Samurai Swordsman to Tribute Summon Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei!" declared Gongenzaka.

Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei - (EARTH/Machine) - LV8 - (1000/3500)

"Come on, Yuya, and duel me, Gongenzaka, one-on-one!" shouted Gongenzaka.

 _"Ladies and gentlemen!"_

Popping out onto the rooftop of a tatami house, Yuya rode on Entermate Hip Hippo, ready to make his debut performance. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Hippo Carnival! _It's showtime!"_

After activating the Quick-Play Spell, three Hippo Tokens, all which took the form of three differently colored female dancing hippos, popped out and began dancing in unison.

Hippo Tokens - (EARTH/Beast/Token) - LV1 - (0/0)

"Wha-?! Are you kidding me?!" groaned Gongenzaka, knowing this was yet another one of Yuya's entertainment performances.

Meanwhile, Yuzu and Mitsumi were watching the duel from the Solid Vision room, with Mitsumi watching silently as Yuzu grew irritated by Yuya's antics. "Play seriously, Yuya!" shouted Yuzu. Out of anger, she had slammed her hands against the keyboard of the old Solid Vision system, accidentally triggering a major malfunction for the system.

"Ah! Yuzu!" cried out Mitsumi, seeing smoke and sparks flying out from the system. "Hold on! I'll go get a fire extinguisher!"

After running out of the room, and accidentally bumping into Shuzo along the way who rushed into the Solid Vision room to check out the loud noises, Mitsumi spotted and took out the fire extinguisher from behind its small glass window in the wall, hurrying back to the room where both Shuzo and Yuzu were panicking and attempting to fan out the smoke and small fires.

"I'm here!" Mitsumi announced, holding the fire extinguisher. With Shuzo's help, they successfully put out the fires before they could spread or become bigger, leaving behind a foam-covered Solid Vision system that no longer functions. If Yuzu's slamming didn't cause the malfunction, then the fires and uncontrollable sparks from before surely settled the end for the system.

"MY HOT-BLOODED COACHING!"

Once everything settled down, they all gathered for a meeting in one of the rooms inside the school. Shuzo, still being clearly upset over the ruined and only Solid Vision system the dueling school had to offer, cried in a tone so loud, pedestrians outside could hear it.

Placing his hands on his head and still lamenting, Shuzo cried, "The Solid Vision System's broken, and all the perspective students will leave! The You Show Duel School is over!"

Mitsumi patted and rubbed Shuzo on the back sympathetically. "There, there, sensei..."

Placing his googles over his eyes, Yuya sighed and laid back against the couch. "Aww man! I could have made them laugh even more if you didn't break it, Yuzu."

"That was because you were messing around, Yuya!" argued Yuzu, defending herself as she was about to swat at him. "And look at when you're talking to me!"

"U-Um...Yuya, you probably should have taken the dueling a little more seriously," admitted Mitsumi shyly.

"Awww! Mitsumi! You're on Yuzu's side?" complained Yuya.

Yuzu, looking quite proud, folded her arms and smirked. "Ha! See? At least someone's on my side!"

"But...Then again, Yuzu, this is still all your fault we're in this situation."

Now it was Yuya's turn to grin. "Ha!"

"What?! Why me?! I thought you were on my side for a second there, Mitsumi-chan!" whined Yuzu; happiness turned into disbelief.

Mitsumi shook her head. "I'm on no one's side in this one. Yuzu-chan, we all know this is how Yuya usually duels and we can't change that. Plus, you were the one who let your anger get the best of you, and because of that, you broke the system. It's one thing to break the system, but damage it enough to cause a fire? We were lucky that the fire was small, but if something like that happens again, we might not be so fortunate. I-I'm sorry..."

Yuzu sighed to herself and dropped her head. "No, no, you're right, Mitsumi-chan. I guess this whole mess was my fault. ...I still think Yuya should have played seriously, though!"

"Hey, hey! Not my fault the fire started!" said Yuya, standing up and walking away before accidentally bumping into Gongenzaka. "Ouch...you're still here, Gongenzaka?"

Stern-faced, Gongenzaka spoke in a serious tone. "That boy wasn't laughing."

"Huh?" Pulling up his goggles and dismissing his comment with a wave of his hand, Yuya lightheartedly said, "Huh? Come on, he was cracking up!"

Unfortunately, Yuya's words only further angered him as he yelled, "There's a huge difference between someone laughing with you and laughing at you!"

Startled by his sudden, loud words, Mitsumi yelped and shrunk back, trembling slightly. Knowing full well how fragile Mitsumi could be when encountering loud criticism, Yuya tried to calm down Gongenzaka. "Hey, calm down, alright? No need to raise your voice."

Upon hearing Yuya and glancing over to Mitsumi, Gongenzaka relaxed and spoke softly. "Your father, Yusho Sakaki, always made everyone smile with his dueling. Have you forgotten the smiles he stirred from their hearts?!"

Placing his hands over his head casually, Yuya replied, "Well, everyone ended up laughing _at_ him in the end!~ I don't really see the problem right now if my Dad could make people laugh with him _and_ at him!"

"Yuya!" chided both Yuzu and Gongenzaka, angered at his childishness while Mitsumi grew frantic and tried to calm down the two of them.

Then, the door opened, and a yellow-suited man with a moustache entered unannounced, surprising everyone. "Oh, it seems something is amiss in here! Pardon the intrusion, by the way!"

"Um...who might you be?" asked Shuzo.

"My name is Nico Smiley! I'm the manager/promoter of the current champion of Action Dueling, Strong Ishijima!"

"Strong...Ishijima?" gasped Yuya, surprised to hear the current champion's name as well as his manager visiting You Show Duel School.

It was rare for anyone not to know the infamous champion as there were posters and even him advertising in a TV commercial for Leo Duel School, also known as LDS, the most prestigious dueling school in Maiami City. But what would Strong Ishijima's manager/promoter be doing here?

"...Hiiragi-sensei," spoke up Mitsumi. "Why don't we let Mr. Smiley sit down and explain himself?"

Shuzo nodded. "Okay. Why don't you take a seat and explain why you're here?"

"Why, thank you!" Nico agreed, sitting down along with Yuya. "Strong Ishijima is our poster duelist at LDS, and we'd love to invite Yuya to appear with him on his Fan Appreciation Day!"

"So...you're asking me to duel him?" wondered Yuya.

"That's right! Duel him! Your wish from three years ago will come true! The one where you declared out loud that you'll take your father's place until he returns!" Presenting a poster of Strong Ishijima fighting against Yuya, whose portrait was shown on the far corner of the poster, Nico continued, "As you can see, our preparations are already complete!"

Before Yuya could answer, Shuzo stepped in. "No! We can't allow Yuya to go up there!"

Displeased with Shuzo's interference, Nico asked, "And why is that? The fans will love seeing Yusho Sakaki's son appear!"

"I won't let Yuya be your show pony!"

Touched by Shuzo's words of defiance, yet defense for Yuya, Yuya looked shocked himself. Despite the financial situation You Show Duel School was facing as well as other problems from raising a daughter by himself, Shuzo never once gave into temptation of money through evil and selfish methods, only striving to do the good and best, which he further proved by defending Yuya.

Continuing, Shuzo clenched his fist and thought about how much pain Yuya must have suffered with his father gone missing. "How do you think Yuya has felt over these three years?! If you can't understand the pain of a child being fatherless for-! Anyways, please leave!"

Still showing enthusiasm, Nico said, "How unfortunate! As a thank you for your cooperation, we were considering giving you the newest Real Solid Vision System produced by Leo Corporation! For free, of course!"

Shuzo's serious demeanor took a 180 when he heard the free offer. "For real?!"

Shocked, Mitsumi exclaimed, "Sensei! Seriously?!"

Smacking her father with her paper fan, Yuzu scolded, "Weren't you just talking about how you wouldn't let him be a show pony?!"

"Well, yes...but the school-!"

Understanding the school's situation, Yuzu added, "The school's important, too, but..."

Finishing Yuzu's sentence, Gongenzaka said, "What's important is how Yuya feels about it."

"Oh, then let's go ask him! Yuya, how-" Mitsumi turned to ask Yuya about his decision, but he wasn't present in his seat, nor anywhere in the room. "He's...not here."

"Where'd he go?" wondered Yuzu.

* * *

 _Later..._

Sitting on a bridge railing, Yuya gazed not out at the beautiful ocean but at his precious swinging pendulum while wearing his goggles. He recalled one of his longtime memories from his childhood involving his father before he disappeared to who knows where.

The child version of him was crying all by his lonesome when his father appeared and took off his goggles, causing his stored tears to spill out from the goggles. Why he was sad that day, Yuya couldn't recall, but he did remember his father's words of advice to keep moving forward and that whenever he felt like crying, merely laugh instead. He also said that his pendulum can guide Yuya whenever he feels lost.

 _'Swing, pendulum. Swing more,'_ Yuya urged mentally, focusing on his swinging pendulum as his gaze intensified with more feeling from remembering his father's guidance.

After awhile, Yuya stepped down from the railing and placed his pendulum necklace back around his neck before turning to go home. When he turned around, he saw Mitsumi awaiting for him and walked up to her.

"Oh...Hey, Mitsumi. How long were you there?"

"For a while," admitted Mitsumi. "I wanted to come up and talk to you, but I also didn't want to startle and cause you to fall in the water, so I waited. Everyone was worried when you suddenly disappeared from the school and went looking for you."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just needed some time to myself. But, I'm all better now and I've made my decision! I'll duel Strong Ishijima and show everyone Dueling Entertainment You Show Duel Style!"

Mitsumi nodded. "If that's how you feel, I won't stop you. All I can do is wish you luck and cheer you on from the sidelines."

Yuya smiled. "Thanks. That's just enough for me. By the way, think I can ask you for some tips and advice?"

"Hmm? On what?"

"Well, your parents used to be Pro Duelists, right? I was wondering if they gave you some good dueling tips to use."

Now, nobody but Mitsumi's own grandmother knew the true nature behind her parents and how cruel and abusive they used to be, only that they died and that her grandmother was her only family left. As such, Mitsumi disliked and avoided talking about her past as much as possible.

Hiding her distaste about her past, Mitsumi thought for a moment. "Um...Stay vigilant and focused? It's not over until the last card is drawn? I dunno, but you should just do your best!"

Yuya nodded. "Do my best! Got it! Now, to contact that Nico guy..."

"Here." Presenting a business card to Yuya, Mitsumi told him, "Mr. Smiley gave one each to us before we left to find you, in case you were interested in dueling Strong Ishijima."

"Oh. Well, this just makes things easier," said Yuya, taking the card from her. "Thanks!"

"No problem. Um...Would you like me to escort you home, Yuya?"

Yuya frowned. "Normally, it's supposed to be the guy escorting the girl home, you know? But I'll accept nonetheless. With your kindness, I wonder why-Oh right, you keep rejecting every guy that keeps asking you out on dates."

"I-It's not like I want to! I mean, I still do, but I'm just not interested in getting a boyfriend right now, you know?"

"Yeah, you keep saying that to every guy you rejected. I even lost count of how many times you rejected Sawatari. The only other guy who hasn't asked you out is Gongenzaka. Oh, and me too, of course."

"If you ask me, I think Yuzu-chan is way more prettier and beautiful than me!" said Mitsumi, placing her hands on her cheeks as she imagined Yuzu in her head. "Waaah….She's so headstrong and pretty and she's kinda like a role model to me!"

Intrigued, Yuya said, "Really? Because it's the opposite for Yuzu. She wants to be just like you, minus the whole shyness part. She said she wanted to be beautiful like you and strong."

"I-I'm not that strong...If anything, you and the others are stronger than me. You guys always beat me in duels most of the time."

"She was referring to how physically strong you are," said Yuya. "You know, with you always lifting heavy things and always tending to your grandma's garden and all."

"Well, let her know that she can be strong like me if she works hard and eats healthy, even if she hates the vegetables she's picky at."

Yuya chuckled. "Yeah, I'll let her know that. She probably does know but she refuses to eat those spicy peppers you keep giving her."

"Technically, they were for the principal since those are his favorite veggies. It's not my fault that he tries to get Yuzu to like them. I don't like spicy food either, but still..."

"Yeah, I hear you. Come on, let's go."

"Okay!"

* * *

 _The next day..._

"Hurry! Hurry!"

"I'm running as fast as I can!"

"It's about to start!"

Panting, Shuzo, Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and Mitsumi rushed into the dueling arena, where large crowds seated everywhere around the stadium, cheering excitedly for the main event of Fan Appreciation Day. Banners and flags were held up in the air with confetti flying everywhere along with a cheerleader squad joining in with the crowds.

 **"And now, it's time for the main event here today!"** announced Nico. **"And who will be challenging the Champion, Strong Ishijima here today, but the only son of Yusho Sakaki, the legendary Star Duelist, Yuya Sakaki!"**

Everyone still couldn't believe the news when they learned that Yuya agreed to compete against Strong Ishijima for his father's sake. They knew why, but they also had a strong hunch that he couldn't win due to fooling around with his Entertainment Dueling and would only further humiliate himself.

"Is he really going up against him?" wondered Gongenzaka.

Mitsumi turned to him. "I thought we already clarified this. Besides, you yourself said yesterday that what was really important was what Yuya felt about all this."

"I know I said that, but still..."

Shuzo seemed to be the most energetic out of the four of them, for the wrong reasons at the time. "Alright! I can smell that brand new-!"

Irritated, Yuzu literally slapped some sense into her father by smacking him upside the head with her paper fan just like yesterday.

 **"This Special Match will be conducted with the official Action Duel Rules! I activate the Field Spell, Castle of Chaos! Behold this magnificent sight! Why, it could be mistaken as the real thing!"  
**

Upon the activation of the Field Spell, the previously empty dueling field was filled to the brim of a wide environmental setting with a structural castle above a large forest with a lake. With the help of the Solid Vision System, the field had transformed into a virtual, realistic setting that was not only admired for its appearance but also for its actual physical mass as well.

 **"Look, atop the castle! It's Strong Ishijima, the Ultimate King of Action Dueling for three years running!"**

A strong-toned, armored purple-haired man roared a battle cry, causing the crowd's cries and cheers to increase tenfold at his appearance as the reigning champion stood on top of the castle.

 **"And here's our young challenger to the Ultimate King! Yuya Sakaki!"**

That was supposed to be Yuya's cue to step up to the dueling arena for his appearance debut, but the tomato-haired boy was nowhere to be found, causing silence to ensure all across the stadium for a brief moment.

Stunned, Nico tried again. **"S-Step on up, Yuya!"**

Once again, when Yuya's name was called for the second time, he still didn't appear, causing clouds of doubt to arise within the crowds.

"What's up? Did he run away?"

"Just the same as his Dad did three years ago!"

"A coward! Like father, like son!"

Offended and angered by the insults towards Yuya, Yuzu began to shout, "Now, hold it!"

"Stop it, Yuzu!" said Gongenzaka, not wanting her to cause any trouble.

"But, still-!"

"I'm actually a little bit more worried about Yuya. Where is he?" wondered Mitsumi, concerned. "Hmm? What's...that?"

Disappointed, Strong muttered to himself, "I thought Yusho Sakaki might show up if we dragged his son out here, but...Tsk! I truly can't be the Ultimate King unless I beat him!"

Unknown to Strong, a clown had popped up from behind him and began to silently dance and create funny gestures and faces, causing everyone else from the audience to notice and mumble amongst them who the mysterious clown was.

Yuzu and her group seemed to recognize who the clown was. "That clown...could it be?" wondered Yuzu, surprised.

Shuzo was gob smacked and Gongenzaka resisted the urge to facepalm while Mitsumi smiled and giggled to herself. "Even in a situation like this, Yuya's still funny!"

Soon, several people from the crowd began to yell out to Strong to turn around and that there was a clown behind him. Hearing their words, Strong turned and was taken aback by the appearance of clown Yuya making faces at him. Swiftly, Yuya whirled around and leapt back before bowing mockingly at him.

"You! Are you Yusho Sakaki's brat? Is this the respect you show to the champion?!" questioned Strong angrily, feeling insulted.

Removing his face mask and revealing his true face, Yuya bowed once more. "I apologize for my rudeness! Well, then, with the greatest respect, allow me the honor to duel you!"

With the requested declaration out of the way, Yuya brandished his duel disk, revealing a non-sharp yellow blade disk that served to place his cards on top.

"Let's see how great the champion is!"

"How great I am?! Know your place, son!" shouted Strong, activating his purple duel disk. "I'll show you the skills of a pro and give you some well-needed disciplining!"

Strong's statement caused Yuya to smirk; his blood pumping up with excitement and thrilled to show off his Entertainment Dueling.

 **"Wow! What an unexpected turn of events, but it seems both our players are ready Please draw five cards!"** announced Nico as the two players did so. **"The duelists, at this palace of battle, shall kick their way across the earth and fly across the air on this Field with their Monsters! Fix your eyes upon the ultimate evolution of Dueling! The Action...!"**

"DUEL!" yelled both Yuya and Strong.

The moment Nico snapped his fingers, Action Cards had automatically scattered across the battlefield randomly and initiated the start of the duel.

 **"The Action Cards flutter onto the field and our battle begins!"**

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Yuya - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Strong - 4000 LP**

Deciding to be generous, Strong said, "I'll allow you to go first. Just for your information, you can't draw on the first turn."

Grinning at the opportunity to showcase his skills, Yuya suddenly waltzed up to a zip line before gliding down, grabbing hold of the zip line as he announced loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen!~ Allow me to show you what a classic Action Duel looks like! And for my first performance, I summon Entermate Hip Hippo!"

Entermate Hip Hippo - (EARTH/Beast) - LV3 - (800/800)

Halfway throughout the zip line ride, Yuya jumped off and landed on the back of his riding Duel Monster before waving at the audience and then at Strong. "Catch me if you can! I end my turn!" With that, he took off on Hip Hippo, strolling fast across the virtual forest.

"He's running away again!"

"Yusho Sakaki's son is quick at running, no surprise there!"

Yuzu and the others except for Mitsumi were growing both concern and angry from watching Yuya's performance and how he wasn't doing much against Strong.

"What is Yuya doing?!" demanded Yuzu.

"He should face him proudly!" protested Gongenzaka. If he was dueling against Yuya, he'd be insulted by his dear friend's actions just as much as Strong was!

 _'It's only been a couple of seconds since the duel started and you guys are getting mad at him? Jeez, you guys are impatient,'_ Mitsumi wanted to say, but kept it to herself. "Guys, please! This is normally how Yuya duels anyways. I don't see why you guys are mad. Besides, the duel just started."

"Still, Yuya should be taking this seriously!" shouted Yuzu. "It's his chance to defend his father, after all!"

Watching Yuya roam around the forest at a fast pace, Strong muttered, "It won't be long until I catch you. My turn, draw! I activate the Spell, Feast of the Wild LV5! With this card, I can Special Summon two Level 5 Warrior-Type Monsters from my hand, but their effects are negated! Come forth, Lava Battleguard and Swamp Battleguard!"

Lava Battleguard - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV5 - (1550/1800)

Swamp Battleguard - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV5 - (1800/1500)

"I sacrifice both my Monsters to Tribute Summon Battleguard King! Come forth from the depths of the hidden wood, crushing the giant trees in your way! King of savages, ruler of the wild! Battleguard King!"

The two Monsters that were seen jumping towards the ground vanished as the ruler of the Battleguards crushed and pushed several trees out of the way as though they were mere insects to make his appearance wide for everyone to witness.

Battleguard King - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV8 - (3000/1100)

 **"Here he is, the Champion Strong Ishijima's ace Monster!"** exclaimed Nico.

While Yuya was still riding on his Hip Hippo, the Battleguard King crash landed right in front of both Yuya and his Monster, prompting to two of them to halt and gaze at the powerful Monster.

"Your father got away from me, but there's no escape for you!" declared Strong. "Battleguard King, destroy Hip Hippo!"

As Battleguard King swung his club at both Yuya and his Monster, both made a break for it and Yuya swiftly grabbed an Action Card from the bushes. "Lucky me! I got an Action Card! The Action Spell: Evasion! Rolling Hippo!~"

Upon the activation of the Action Card, Yuya and Hip Hippo performed a swift somersault that allowed both of them to narrowly avoid the club attack, thus negating the Monster's attack.

"You can't win just be evading it!" yelled Gongenzaka. "He needs to fight!"

 _'Can you even hear yourself right now, Gongenzaka?! Of course he's fighting! That was a really good move! If Yuya had taken that, he would have been in serious trouble!'_ thought Mitsumi, annoyed by Gongenzaka's comment before retaining herself. "Hey, hey...I'm sure Yuya's doing his best like always! Look, he looks like he's having fun! Plus, he did a good job with that Action Card!"

"That's right. He _is_ fighting."

"Yoko-san!" gasped Shuzo as he and the others were surprised to see Yoko entering the stadium to witness her son's duel.

"Saka-Er...Yoko-san, did you come here to see Yuya's duel, too?" asked Mitsumi, mentally reminding herself that Yoko gave her permission to use her name casually.

Yoko nodded. "Of course. I'm his mother, after all. Anyways, Yuya's reinventing himself while fighting. Just continue watching, alright?"

While Yuya and Hip Hippo were running away from Battleguard King, Strong noted, "As expected of Yusho Sakaki's son...You're able to utilize Action Cards effectively! Professionals, though, are able to go beyond that! I activate Battleguard King's effect! If he's Tribute Summoned by sacrificing at least one Battleguard Monster, he can make 2 attacks on Monsters during each Battle Phase!"

"What?! He can attack twice?!" exclaimed Yuya just as Battleguard King brought down his club once more, creating a large dust cloud and causing everyone to think that the second attack succeeded this time.

 **"There it goes! Battleguard King obliterates Hip Hippo with not only his second effect, but his grand Attack Power of 3000!"** announced Nico before Hip Hippo and Yuya emerged out of the dust cloud, seemingly unharmed. **"Or did he?!"**

"No way!" cried out Strong, shocked.

"Just in the nick of time!" spoke Yuya proudly. "I activated the Action Spell, Miracle! It negated the destruction of my Monster and halved the Battle Damage!"

 **Yuya - 2900 LP**

 **Strong - 4000 LP**

People who insulted and doubted Yuya's ability were left amazed and impressed by Yuya's skills in both quick thinking and acrobatics, making them wonder if Yuya has a chance against the three-year reigning champion himself.

"Well, fine," stated Strong. "I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

"What did you mean when you said that Yuya's reinventing himself?" Yuzu asked Yoko.

"Yuya's been living the last three years behind a mask of buffoonery," explained Yoko. "He made fun of himself before allowing anyone to make fun for his father running away. But Yuya really wants to become like his father. The legendary Star Duelist he always admired when he was just a boy."

"My turn, draw!" shouted Yuya, smiling brightly. After Hip Hippo jumped over several pillars before landing on the highest one with a wide platform, Yuya spread his arms wide. "Everyone, we are approaching the climax of our show today! Entermate Hip Hippo's effect allows him to be treated as two Monsters when used for Tribute Summoning! I now sacrifice Hip Hippo!"

Hip Hippo trotted and ran off the edge of the platform, vanishing and leaving Yuya in a free fall before he quickly removed his clown outfit.

"Everyone put your hands together for...! Today's main attraction, the rare Monster with two differently colored eyes! Odd-Eyes Dragon!"

Sharp, firm, and strong-looking, the red and green heterochromic, wingless dragon crashed down from the air with his wielder, Yuya, riding on top of him, firmly holding onto his horns to steady himself. The ace Monster of Yuya's roared triumphantly at its own debut appearance.

Odd-Eyes Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV7 - (2500/2000)

Loud and clear with a proud voice, Yuya said, "The fun is just beginning!"

Tears sprung at the corner of Shuzo's eyes as he waved at Yuya proudly. "There it is! Yusho's infamous catchphrase! My blood is hot with excitement!"

Mitsumi heard Yoko mumbled to herself, "He was waiting for this exact moment..."

"Yoko-san?"

"Hmm? Oh, don't mind me."

"Using the same line as your father, the chicken, are you?" chided Strong.

Because they were far away, Yuya had to use a screen system to contact Strong, showing off his strong, defiant expression. **"My father is not a coward!"**

Strong scoffed. "Oh, yeah?"

 **"I'll win using the dueling skills he taught me to prove that he's stronger than anyone else!"**

"Hmph! That dragon of yours only has 2500 Attack Points! He's no match for my 3000 Attack Point Battleguard King!"

Turning off the screen system, Yuya proceeded to continue with his turn. "We'll see about that! I activate the Continuous Spell, Wonder Balloon!" Immediately after the activation of his spell, which took the form of a multicolored box, Yuya rushed across the forest with Odd-Eyes Dragon, snatching Action Cards everywhere he went.

 **"Look at Yuya! Grabbing all those Action Cards and sending them to his Graveyard!"** commented Nico.

"Wonder Balloon, fly away!" exclaimed Yuya excitedly as three balloons popped out of the box. "Wonder Balloon increases by one counter, or in this case, balloon, for every card that I send to my Graveyard! And by sending it to the Graveyard, the balloons burst, decreasing one Monster's Attack Points by 1000 for each balloon counter until the end of this turn! Three balloons will now pop, meaning Battleguard King will have a total of 0 Attack Points!"

Like Yuya said, the balloons all floated towards Battleguard King, harmlessly exploding into pink smoke. Once the smoke cleared, Battleguard King was now immobilized by having a body of balloons with his head intact.

 **"Battleguard King now has 0 Attack Points! W-W-What a twist! Who would have thought that Action Cards could be used in such a fashion?!"**

 _'It's not really that surprising to me. I used to do that,'_ thought Mitsumi before realizing she was reminiscing on her past memories when she used to duel in the pro children's leagues. _'No, stop that! That's past behind you! You don't do that anymore! This is Yuya's duel, not yours! Just focus on cheering him on!'_

"You can't have more than one Action Card in your hand at any given time," said Strong. "You weren't just running around...You were trying to find out where all the Action Cards were..."

Holding up his pendant and smiling at the memory of his father, Yuya replied, "I've always been good at finding things."

Cheers echoed across the stadium as the crowd was increasingly growing more and more impressed and amused by Yuya's Entertainment Dueling style, loving the climatic actions, the visual effects, every single act of Yuya's performance. Yuya glanced around, enjoying the attention and cheers he was receiving as he felt a burst of happiness within him blooming.

 _'The applause! The cheering! This is the acclaim Dad felt at the stadium!'_ thought Yuya. "Here we go, Odd-Eyes! Let's get this huge crowd doing even crazier!" shouted Yuya, earning a roar of approval from his ace dragon. "When Odd-Eyes Dragon destroys a Level 5 or higher Monster, he deals Damage equal to half of that Monster's original Attack Points!"

Gasping, Strong realized through his calculations that this spelled trouble for him. "Half of Battleguard King's original Attack Points would be 1500! Together with 2500 more damage, that would make a grand total of...4000 Points of Damage?!"

"With that, I'll be able to one-shot kill you!" said Yuya. "Go, Odd-Eyes Dragon! Attack Battleguard King! Spiral Flame!"

After hearing the attack name, Mitsumi remembered something from Strong's turn and gasped. _'Wait, didn't Strong put a facedown card before he ended his turn! This is bad! If that card was a trap, then-! And, too late. He can't call back his attack.'_

Like an actual dragon in combat, Odd-Eyes Dragon released a crimson stream of fire that made contact with Battleguard King, causing a massive explosion which everyone assumed the fire breath hit the target.

"I'm burning inside! He won!" cheered Shuzo.

"Yuya!" Yuzu and Gongenzaka also cheered, relieved to see that their friend won victoriously.

"Y-Yeah! He did it!" said Mitsumi. _'Did he really? Well, after that smoke disappears, we'll find out the results.'_

Sure enough, Battleguard King was still standing tall in his balloon body, ceasing all victory cheers with an enraged roar.

"W-Why?!" wondered Yuzu.

Panting and sweating from all the running he did, Strong revealed the Action Card he found and activated. "I activated the Action Spell, Miracle! Now, my Monster couldn't be destroyed by your attack and damage is halved to me as well!"

 **Yuya - 2900 LP**

 **Strong - 2750 LP**

 **"The Champion doesn't let us down!"** cried out Nico as Yuya stared at the screen, exasperated. **"He had an Action Card hidden up in his sleeve!"**

 _'Well, my hunch for his facedown card being revealed didn't exactly go right,'_ thought Mitsumi. _'But that doesn't change the fact that he narrowly avoided a fatal defeat with a quick Action Card.'_

"This is all there is to Yusho Sakaki's dueling!" shouted Strong, jumping off the castle tower as he made his way to the same ground levels as Yuya. "I activate the Continuous Trap, Battleguard Rage! When I take Battle Damage, I can activate this card by targeting a Battleguard Monster I control and increase his Attack Points by 2000! And Monsters destroyed by battle with my Battleguard are sent to the hand instead to the Graveyard!"

 _'There we go!'_ thought Mitsumi. _'On one hand, he no longer has to wonder about anymore facedown cards Strong has, but on the worst end, now Strong's Monster will be 2000 times more stronger than he originally was if Yuya ends his turn now!'_

"Tch…!" Frustrated that his strategy didn't go as planned, Yuya decided he couldn't do anymore this turn. "I end my turn!"

 **"With the end of the turn, Wonder Balloon's effect lapses and his Attack Points rises!"**

Bursting out from the balloon entrapment, Battleguard King roared, ready to take his revenge upon the arrival of the next turn.

Battleguard King - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV8 - (5000/1100)

"He's not only back to normal, but even more powerful than before!" cried out Yuzu worriedly.

"How will Yuya handle this?" wondered Mitsumi.

"Here comes your requiem! My turn!" yelled Strong as Yuya ran away with his dragon in attempts of finding an Action Card. "You won't run away! Battle! Battleguard King, destroy Odd-Eyes Dragon!"

Spotting an Action Card, Yuya reached out his arm to grab it but was too late as Battleguard King's club slammed into Odd-Eyes Dragon's body, not only destroying the dragon but sending Yuya flying as well.

 **Yuya - 400 LP**

 **Strong - 2750 LP**

"Yuya! I hope he's okay!" cried out Mitsumi, hands clasped and praying for Yuya's safety from the heavy blow he just received.

"Your dragon now goes back to your hand without heading to the Graveyard due to Battleguard Rage's effect," explained Strong, now held high thanks to his ace Monster holding him within an open palm. "Now, I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Battleguard Magic! When a Monster is returned to the hand, I gain Life Points equal to its Attack Points, and because of that, I now gain Life Points equal to half of your dragon's Attack Points since he returned to your hand!"

 **Yuya - 400 LP**

 **Strong - 4000 LP**

"His Life Points are back to 4000?!" exclaimed Yuzu.

"It's like everything Yuya did was for nothing!" said Mitsumi.

"Battleguard King can only attack Monsters twice," reminded Strong. "Seems you'll live to see another turn. I place one card facedown and end my turn. It's your turn! Draw a card! Or will you choose to surrender? Turn your tail and run, just like your father?"

Shaking his head, Yuya desperately shouted, "No! I won't ru-!" Even so, there was no denying the fact that Yuya was in a clear disadvantage as he stared at his hand. He had no Monsters or set cards on the field, all he had were Monster cards that were too high leveled for him to summon or too weak to go up against the 5000 Attack Point Battleguard King.

"Yuya.." muttered Yuzu as the others waited for Yuya to make his move.

Though she was nervous, and didn't want to attract attention, Mitsumi felt the need to support Yuya just as much as her friends do. "D-Don't give up, Yuya!" called out Mitsumi as loud as she could. "Remember what I said before?! Do your best! Stay vigilant and strong! It's not over until the last card is played! Go for it, Yuya!"

Recalling his father's words of encouragement from when he was just a child, combined with Mitsumi's encouraging words as well as the support of both his friends and mother, Yuya felt determined and a surge of power swaying within him just like the pendant around his neck.

"Swing, Pendulum! More and more!" hollered Yuya, drawing his card ferociously. With the bright glow emitting from his pendant, the power previously surging within him was placed in his cards as they had suddenly changed and were emitting a new power; a power Yuya seemed to automatically recognize and acknowledge.

"I set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician!"

The word "Pendulum" colored rainbow appeared on his duel disk entirely as both Stargazer and Timegazer Magician flew up and were surrounded by pillars of light with an enlarged version of a pendulum swaying back and forth.

"Now, I can summon any Monsters between Levels 2 and 7 at the same time! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my Monsters! Entermate Whip Snake! Entermate Sword Fish! And finally, the new and improved...ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON!"

Entermate Whip Snake - (EARTH/Reptile) - LV4 - (1700/900)

Entermate Sword Fish - (WATER/Fish) - LV2 - (600/600)

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/Pendulum) - Scale 4 - LV7 - (2500/2000)

"What...is that...?" gasped Gongenzaka, stunned and astonished by the new sort of summoning method displayed before him and everyone else in the stadium.

 _'Pendulum Summoning?! I've never heard of such a summoning method! When and where did Yuya acquire such a new power?!'_ thought Mitsumi. _'It's radiating...a tremendous power!'_

"Three Monsters at the same time?" wondered Strong, astonished. "And that dragon is Level 7! He shouldn't be able to summon high-leveled Monster without a Special or Tribute Summon!"

Appearing on the communication screen, Nico informed him, **"But since the system isn't signaling an error, that must mean his summon is legal! I don't know how, but this is a top-notch system! I doubt they would let a small error slide."**

Riding abroad on his newly evolved Odd-Eyes Dragon, Yuya declared, "I activate Entermate Whip Snake's effect! His effect now switches one Monster's Attack and Defense Points!"

Using the heart-shaped pendulum attached to the end of his tail, Whip Snake began to hypnotize Battleguard King, weakening him to the point of him crashing to his knees and lowering his owner to the ground.

Battleguard King - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV8 - (1100/5000)

"And then Entermate Sword Fish's effect! He can decrease one of my opponent's Monster's Attack Points by 600 this turn!"

Miraging copies of Sword Fish materialized and fired upon the activating of his effect, effectively pinning down Battleguard King and weakening him even further.

Battleguard King - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV8 - (600/5000)

 **"Battleguard King's Attack Points have quickly decreased from 5000 to 600!"** gasped Nico as the crowd grew wild with excitement not only from Yuya's terrific new summoning, but also from the new power bestowed upon his Pendulum Summoned Monsters.

"It's time to battle! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Attack Battleguard King!" ordered Yuya, once everything was set in motion. "It's time to show us your true power!"

The evolution version of the original Odd-Eyes Dragon, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, charged with newfound power in the form of his eyes and the orbs around his body glowing, preparing a surging laser strike to wipe out the weakened Battleguard King.

"I won't let you!" yelled Strong. "I activate my Trap, Battleguard Howling! When a Battleguard Monster I control is targeted for an attack, the attacking Monster is returned to the hand, and you get inflicted with damage equal to the returned Monster's Attack Points!"

As the light reflected within the Trap card headed straight for Yuya's path, he raised his arm and chanted, "O Timegazer Magician, who rules over space and time itself! Protect me with your ethereal powers! Timegazer Magician's Pendulum effect activates! Once per turn, when a Trap card targets exactly 1 Pendulum Monster I control, that activation is negated and then set facedown again! Inverse Gearwise!"

The light dissipated and the Trap card meant to seal Yuya's fate flowed back to being facedown, rendering it useless. "Shit!" cursed Strong, looking around for an Action Card. Finding and grabbing one from amongst the trees, Strong began his countermeasure as quickly as he could. "I activate the Action Card, Evasion!"

Unwilling to allow his grand opportunity to go to waste, Yuya quickly chanted, "O Stargazer Magician, who rules over space and time itself! Seal my foes with your ethereal power! Stargazer Magician's Pendulum effect activates! Once per turn, during either player's Battle Step in which a Pendulum Monster I control battles, and when a Spell card is activated, the activation is negated and set facedown and cannot be used for the rest of the turn! Horoscope Divination!"

Shocked, Strong exclaimed, "He even negated my Action Spell?!" Desperately, he made a run for it to attempt to track down yet another Action Card.

"The time is now, Odd-Eyes! Burn everything to cinders that your heterochromatic eyes catch a glimpse of!" yelled Yuya, giving chase while riding on his dragon. "Spiral Flame Strike!"

Charging forward on foot and then leaping in the air as though it sprouted wings and flew, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon unleashed a red beam surging with darkness at Battleguard King, who tried intercepting the attack with his club.

"Shit!" Strong cursed once again, knowing there was nothing he could do to protect himself. "But in the next turn, you'll pay for what you've done!"

"Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect activates!" revealed Yuya. "When he battles a Level 5 or higher Monster, he inflicts double the Damage! Reaction Force!"

"D-DOUBLE?!"

Alongside the effect Odd-Eyes' new power bestowed upon him, a blooming plume of flame burst out from within the dark red beam, adding more power enough to annihilate Battleguard King and his owner.

 **Yuya - 400 LP**

 **Strong - 0 LP**

 **Winner: Yuya**

Crashing back to land, both Yuya and his Monsters stood triumphantly as the victors. "This is...The End!"

After Yuya was officially and publicly declared the winner, the ARC System dissolved, returned the field back to its original, empty field, leaving the audience in complete and utter silence.

"Wh...Did that really just happen?" asked Mitsumi, who was just as stunned as the rest of her friends.

"Did he win...?" wondered Yuzu.

"Y-Yeah..." answered Gongenzaka.

Shuzo was the first amongst them to snap out of it and start tearing up in excitement. "Whoaaaaa! His blood was boiling!"

"H-Hey! Let's go down and greet him!" suggested Mitsumi, in which the others nodded in agreement before rushing down the stairs. _'Seriously, though, what was that? Pendulum Summoning?'_

As though he had been in a trance the entire time, Yuya blinked his eyes and shook his head a few times to snap out of his confusion, wondering what had occurred. "Huh? What? Is...Is that Ishijima?"

"Yuya! Yuya! Up here!" called out Mitsumi, waving her hand and gathering her friend's attention.

"You won!" shouted Yoko loudly. "You won against Strong Ishijima for your father! Well done, Yuya!"

"It was awesome, Yuya!"

"You did it!"

"Waaah! Boiling blood!"

Within seconds later, the audience exploded into cheers and applause, complimenting Yuya's dueling and amazed by his Entertainment Dueling and display of the unknown Pendulum Summoning. The fact that Yuya became the new reigning champion after defeating Strong Ishijima only further excited the crowd even more.

Having regained conscious from the last blast that had defeated him, Strong groaned and sat up. "Damnit, what was-"

Suddenly, Strong was knocked back to the ground as Nico rushed past him to greet Yuya, taking in his hand with his while holding the microphone in the other hand. **"Bravo! Excellent! Congratulations! It was a splendid victory, Yuya-kun! Could you introduce that fascinating summoning method that granted you that victory?"**

"...Eh? Summoning method?"

* * *

 _The next morning..._

A huge line of people had formed straight outside of You Show Duel school, where on the inside, both Yuzu and Mitsumi were handing out application forms to everyone wishing to attend You Show Duel School after witnessing Yuya's duel involving his new, unknown summoning method.

"For those who wish to apply to our Duel School, please fill out these application forms with your name!" announced Yuzu.

"Yes!"

"I want to enroll!"

"Me too! Me too!"

Hands were raised and several people pushed against one another in order to grab ahold of the application forms. If it was just Yuzu alone, she'd have a difficult time, but she felt reassuring she had Mitsumi's help as both girls started handing over application forms and then collecting them afterwards.

Entering through an elevator were two other students in the You Show Duel School, an overweighted blond boy named Futoshi, and a red-haired girl named Ayu. They both greeted the two girls cheerfully. "Big Sis Yuzu! Big Sis Mitsumi!"

"Ayu-chan! Futoshi-kun!" greeted back Yuzu kindly as Mitsumi was stuck trying to collect the remainder of the forms by herself. "You both came!"

"Even though the principal told everyone to come, 'everyone' seems to be just you guys, me and Ayu!" said Futoshi.

"Where's the principal?" asked Ayu curiously.

"Rubbing his cheeks against the Solid Vision System in the back," sighed Yuzu, shaking her head in disbelief. "Thanks to Yuya, we got the latest Solid Vision System. He's been clinging to it since this morning, giddy with joy!"

After hearing that, Mitsumi smiled to herself as she continued doing her duty as a receptionist. _'I guess I can't blame the guy for getting all excited and happy for getting something that would help improve the school. The man works so hard,'_ she thought.

"As expected, Big Brother Yuya saved You Show Duel School!" cheered Ayu.

"Yeah, everyone admires him!" agreed Futoshi. "That Pendulum Summon he did was so awesome! Gave me goosebumps!~"

One of the newly recruited students asked out loud, "You're gonna show us the Pendulum Summon today, aren't ya?!"

Smiling, Yuzu answered, "We plan to show you, of course. But you can only see it if you apply to our Duel School."

Growing wild with excitement, more people began shoving one another and attempting to get to the front of the desk to sign up and then gain access to see Yuya's Pendulum Summoning, causing Yuzu and Mitsumi's work load to increase.

"Ah! Everyone, please! One at a time!" called out Mitsumi, taking out more empty application forms and giving them to people.

Yuzu was in charge of being handed over the filled application forms. "Jeez! On top of it all, I'm Yuya's opponent for the exhibition match! But I can't even get ready like this!"

"It cannot be helped! I, the manly Gongenzaka, will take over as the opponent for the exhibition match!" boomed Gongenzaka, looking quite confident in himself and thinking it would be honorable for him to take over Yuzu's role in the exhibition match.

"Eh?! That's not fair!" protested Ayu alongside Futoshi.

"It's embarrassing if we've gotta ask for help off someone from one of our rival Duel Schools," commented Futoshi. "Outsiders go over there!"

Shocked, Gongenzaka couldn't stop Futoshi and Ayu from slowly pushing him back into the elevators. "O-Outsider?!"

"Leave this to us and go duel!" encouraged Ayu before she and Futoshi forced Gongenzaka inside before grabbing ahold of his hands to keep him in the elevator.

Yuzu appreciated Ayu and Futoshi's help, but she knew that even so, she couldn't leave the reception unattended and that she was better with organizing work than Mitsumi, who was having a difficult time managing both the recollection and handling of application forms.

"Mitsumi-chan?" spoke up Yuzu. "Why don't you take my place as the opponent for Yuya's exhibition match? I'm sure he won't mind."

"Eh? But, what about the reception?" wondered Mitsumi. "If I go, then you'll be stuck doing all this. It's okay, I can take care of these, so you can just leave it to me. Besides, you'll be a much more worthy opponent than me!"

Yuzu shook her head. "No, no! It's okay! Besides, you need more dueling practice! I'll be fine! I'm a lot tougher than I look with reception work, so no need to worry! So, go, go, go! Get ready!"

"Well...if you say so, then okay!" agreed Mitsumi, hurrying out to prepare herself for the exhibition match. _'I'm pretty curious to see the Pendulum Summoning again, so I guess this match might turn out fun!'_ she thought.

Later, once everyone had filled out their application forms and had settled in the school hallway, Shuzo stood on a platform, giving a speech about You Show Duel with excitement in his eyes.

 **"Our You Show Duel School is a Duel School that seeks to teach pupils the ways of Entertainment Dueling, the form of dueling the legendary Duel Star, Yusho Sakaki, took the world by storm with!** " announced Shuzo, using a microphone. **"For those that don't know, 10 years ago, the Leo Corporation developed Solid Vision with mass, which resulted in the sudden evolution of Dueling!"**

While Shuzo kept talking on and on about well-known information everyone knew about, they were beginning to grow bored until they heard Yuya's familiar catchphrase.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Welcome to my One Man Show!"

Walking away from Shuzo and turning their attention towards the Duel Field from behind a glass window, the crowd spotted Yuya standing on the spotlight with his arms raised.

 **"What do you mean, 'One Man Show?!'"** hollered Yuzu through the intercom, indicating she was inside the Solid Vision System room. **"You can't duel by yourself! Don't make poor Mitsumi-chan all lonesome!"**

Another spotlight shined on Mitsumi, standing stiff now that the attention was drawn on her. She laughed nervously and gave a shy, awkward wave to the audience.

"Who's that girl yelling in the intercom?"

"She's terrible for yelling at Yuya-kun!"

"Ooh! Look at Yuya's opponent! She's pretty cute!"

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind dueling her myself!~ And maybe I can ask her to be my girlfriend!"

"I can't wait to see the duel! Yuya's gotta show us some Pendulum Summoning!"

"Yeah! Pendulum! Pendulum!"

Various reactions came towards Yuya, Mitsumi, and Yuzu upon hearing the comments and insults from the audience. Mitsumi grew more shy, Yuya was just excited about the upcoming duel, and Yuzu...was slowly rising in anger and irritation.

 **"Oh, I see...I'm seen as the villain, huh?"** Her voice, shaking with anger, was heard through the intercom. **"Mitsumi-chan! For this exhibition match, you're playing as the villain!"**

"EEEEHHHH?!" exclaimed Mitsumi, shocked. "Why me?!"

 **"Think of it as payment for me giving up being Yuya's opponent so you could be my replacement! You're gonna be the villain, whether you like it or not!"**

"T-That's not fair!"

 **"And, Yuya! Don't go and get a big head just cuz you're a bit famous now! I can't duel you, but Mitsumi-chan will duel for me! Get ready to be beaten by her!"**

"Using me to take your anger out on Yuya...That's too cruel, Yuzu-chan!" whined Mitsumi. "U-Um...Yuya? Are you okay? I hope Yuzu-chan didn't hurt your feelings...I'm sorry…"

Yuya shook his head. "No, no! It's alright! Hmm..." Snapping his fingers, Yuya then pointed at Mitsumi and declared loudly, "Don't worry, Maiden of the Lake! I shall save you from your brainwashing!"

Everyone muttered amongst themselves, wondering what was happening. Mitsumi and Yuzu were also confused, wanting to know what sort of roles both Mitsumi and Yuya were supposed to play.

"I, the Pendulum Prince, Yuya Sakaki, will save the beautiful Maiden of the Lake, Mitsumi, who has been brainwashed by Miss Strong Ishijima! In other words, the girl speaking through the intercom!"

 **"M-MISS STRONG ISHIJIMA?!"** yelled Yuzu, horrified that she was referred to being a genderbent version of the former champion.

"It's ridiculous to think you'd come here to take revenge for your master, but even more disgraceful for you to brainwash poor sweet innocent Maiden of the Lake to do your dirty bidding! I shall free her and stop your plans using Pendulum Summoning!"

 **"Who the hell are you calling Miss Strong Ishijima, Yuya?!'**

Futoshi, Ayu, and Gongenzaka, who were also in the same room as Yuzu as she continued arguing and yelling at Yuya, sweatdropped but wasn't sure what to say as they didn't want to further invoke her anger.

"Gongenzaka, turn on the Solid Vision System!" decided Ayu, seeing as Yuzu wasn't going to do it.

"It is inexcusable for you two to ask me, Gongenzaka, to do lackey's work!" complained Gongenzaka, but complied begrudgingly.

Spotting Gongenzaka activating the Solid Vision System and the Field Spell selected, Yuzu ceased her arguing and focused on business. **"I activate the Field Spell, Plain Plain!"**

With the mechanics of the Solid Vision System, the entire Duel Field rapidly changed to a simply grassy environment with a large pond and bridge in the middle.

Activating their duel disks, both Mitsumi and Yuya readied themselves for their exhibition match. Yuya's yellow duel disk shot out in a flashy motion like lightning, while Mitsumi's blue duel disk flowed out fluidly like water in a zippy motion.

"Duelists locked in battle!" chanted Yuya.

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!"

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling!"

"ACTION-!" Snapping his fingers, Yuya watched as the orb containing the Action Cards scattered, which signaled the start of the exhibition duel.

"DUEL!"

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Yuya - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

Since they were roleplaying the exhibition match, Mitsumi tried her best to act out her role as the Maiden of the Lake. "P-Pendulum Prince Yuya Sakaki! I-I can't control myself! I'm trapped in a curse that's forcing me to duel against you! Please break this curse and save me! Aaah! This is so embarrassing!"

"Don't break character! You're doing a good job!" whispered Yuya, assuring she was alright. "Don't worry, Maiden of the Lake! I shall save you! Allow me to make the first move! I summon Entermate Hip Hippo!"

Entermate Hip Hippo - (EARTH/Beast) - LV3 - (800/800)

Seeing the reappearance of Yuya's riding Monster, the crowd began growing in excitement as that was the first starting move back with Yuya's duel against Strong.

"It's here! It's here! Hippo, hippo!"

"Yuya uses him as a part of his plan to ride around and find Action Cards!"

"Go, go!"

"Okay! So the crowd understands, right? I end my turn!" said Yuya before riding off with Entermate Hip Hippo to find any Action Cards.

 **"Mitsu-I mean, Maiden of the Lake! I command you to put an end to the Pendulum Prince! Summon a Monster to destroy his Monster! MWAHAHAHA!"** crackled Yuzu.

 _'Yup, she's taking her role seriously,'_ thought Gongenzaka, Ayu, and Futoshi, sweatdropping once more.

"My turn, draw!" said Mitsumi. "Uh...I summon Gishki Noellia to the field in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Noellia - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1700/1000)

"Because she was Normal Summoned, I can excavate the top five cards from my deck and send any excavated Ritual Spells and Gishki Monsters to the Graveyard! Any other cards are placed on the bottom of my deck in any order!" Drawing five new cards, she sent three cards to the Graveyard and sent two cards in a random order to the bottom of her deck. "I'm sorry, hero! Noellia, attack Hip Hippo!"

Raising her staff, Noellia summoned forth a spear of water from the pond before firing it towards Yuya and Hip Hippo. Sensing danger approaching, Yuya spotted an Action Card from the bushes and grabbed it.

"I activate the Action Card, Evasion! Rolling Hippo!" After the activation of the Action Spell that negated the attack, he crowd grew wild at Yuya's signature dodge move.

 **"Darn it! Maiden of the Lake! I see an Action Card floating on the pond water! Grab it and activate it!"**

Forced to comply, Mitsumi rushed over and bent down, picking it up before activating the Action Card. "I activate the Action Card, Razor Wind! This deals 400 Points of Damage to you, Yuya!"

A sharp boomerang-like gust of wind shot out of nowhere and hit both Yuya and Hip Hippo; the wind dispersing afterwards as Yuya fell off his riding partner and rolled around the grass.

 **Yuya - 3600 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"Yuya!" Running up to him, Mitsumi expressed concern not only for her friend, but also in her role for the duel. "I-I apologize, my prince, but-!"

 **"No! Don't apologize to the enemy! Ahahahaha! This is the beginning of your demise, Pendulum Prince! End your turn, slave!"**

"I-I end my turn! Seriously, though, Yuya, are you okay? I hope I wasn't too rough on you..."

"PENDULUM! PENDULUM! PENDULUM! PENDULUM!"

The crowd from behind the glass window began chanting over and over, demanding to witness an amazing Pendulum Summon performed by Yuya himself. Just their excitement and cheering was enough to whip Yuya back into action as he jumped back up on his feet.

Beforehand, he got on one knee and looked up at Mitsumi. "Maiden of the Lake, thank you for your kindness and your concern, but you needn't worry! Just wait for a bit, and I shall free you from your curse! After all, the fun has just begun!"

Mitsumi sweatdropped upon seeing Yuya strike a pose alongside Hip Hippo and felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment. _'It was nice for Yuya to put me in a sort of princess role while in a villainous situation, but even though the crowd is just here to see Pendulum Summoning, it's still a bit embarrassing being put on the spotlight. I'll just have to help out Yuya as best as I can!'_

"My turn, draw!" declared Yuya. "Ah! It's here!" He thought, _'Even though I don't remember it, I did see it on TV later.'_ "I set the Pendulum Scale using my Scale 4 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician!"

Just like last time, two pillars of light shot from the ground and arose to the heavens as both Odd-Eyes Pendulum and Timegazer Magician appeared with their respective Pendulum Scale numbers.

The crowd waited in anticipation as they clapped their hands and shouted in unison, "Pendulum! Pendulum!"

About to grant the audience's wishes, Yuya raised two Monster cards in his hand to the air. "Here comes a Pendulum Summon! Come out, my Monsters!"

However, the moment Yuya slammed down the two Monster cards into his duel disk, an ERROR message displayed on his duel disk screen. The nonappearance of the Pendulum Summoning brought nothing but silence except for the rustling wind as the audience grew speechless.

"W-What? What's going on?" wondered Ayu.

"Why didn't it work?" Futoshi asked.

Embarrassed and shocked, Yuya demanded, "H-Hey! What's going on? Sword Fish! Whip Snake! Come on out with a bang like last time!" No matter how repeatedly Yuya placed the two Monster cards on his duel disk, the error message continued on display and the Monsters refused to come out. "Why the heck's there an error?! Even though I put my Pendulum cards on the disk, nothing's working!"

 _'Come on, brain! Think! What went wrong this time?'_ wondered Yuya. _'When I did it last time...um...it was when Ishijima destroyed my dragon, and I was in a heap of trouble! Oh! Maybe it's some kind of special move you can only pull off if you're in a pinch! What a classic!'_

Seeing as Yuya had been silent for a while, Mitsumi grew worried. "Yuya? Are you alright? You've been awfully quiet for a while. Have you figured something out?"

Yuya nodded with a wide grin. "I'll end my turn! Now, come at me, Maiden of the Lake! Attack me!"

"E-Eh?!"

"Yeah! And don't hold anything back!"

 **"W-Well, that's a surprise, but it works for me!"** said Yuzu. **"Now, Maiden of the Lake, destroy Yuya on your next turn! Finish him!"**

"U-Um! Okay! My turn, draw!" said Mitsumi, hesitantly agreeing. "I summon Gishki Beast in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Beast - (WATER/Beast) - LV4 - (1500/1300)

"Whenever Gishki Beast is Normal Summoned, I get to Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Gishki Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Mode! I Special Summon Gishki Avance!"

Gishki Avance - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1500/800)

"Now I play the Ritual Spell card, Gishki Aquamirror! By sacrificing Monsters whose total Levels equal the same as the Ritual Monster I wish to summon, I get to Ritual Summon! I use Gishki Beast and Gishki Avance to Ritual Summon Evigishki Soul Ogre! Serpent whose body wields the strength of an ogre, accept thy offerings and emerge from the depths of the ocean! Ritual Summon! Evigishki Soul Ogre!"

Popping out from deep within the pond and landing in front of Mitsumi while droplets of water splashed down from his landing, a reptilian monster with sharp claws and a wide jaw appearance.

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (2800/2800)

"I activate the effect of Soul Ogre! Once per turn, by discarding a Gishki Monster from my hand, I get to return a face-up card you control and shuffle that card back to your deck, so I choose Hip Hippo!"

Hip Hippo shrieked before vanishing into a ball of water that shrunk and floated back to Yuya's deck, but his grin only widen as he thought the more danger he was in, the chances of his Pendulum Summoning would be successful.

"Now, I activate directly with Gishki Noellia!"

Slamming the end of her staff against the grassy grounds, Noellia casted another water spell from the pond and sent a blast of water towards Yuya, causing him to fall down, drenched but excited for a reason.

 **Yuya - 1900 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"Come on and bring it!" challenged Yuya.

"Yuya, are you sure-?"

"Yeah! It's time! I'm certain of it!"

Knowing what Yuya meant, Shuzo clapped his hands and announced, "Come on, come on! It's time to Pendulum!"

Alongside Shuzo, everyone begun clapping their hands as well as they chanted in unison, "Pendulum! Pendulum!"

"Hit me with your best shot, Mitsumi!" shouted Yuya.

 **"One more hit to his Life Points spells the hero's defeat! Maiden of the Lake, as your master, I command you to attack him directly!"** ordered Yuzu, getting back to her role as villainess once more.

"I-I sure hope you know what you're doing, Yuya!" called out Mitsumi. "Evigishki Soul Ogre, attack Yuya directly! Torrential Crusher!"

Shrilling, Evigishki Soul Ogre slammed his fist down, causing the ground to shake a bit but enough to bring forth a tidal wave from the pond to head for Yuya's path.

"Alright, now I'm in a super duper pinch!" said Yuya confidently. "It's Pendulum time!"

However, even when he slammed his Monster cards again, the error message appearance once more, shocking everyone. Before Yuya could do or think of anything, the tidal wave caught up to him and engulfed him in its water, sending the drenched boy further and further away from Mitsumi while the force of the attack took away the remainder of Yuya's Life Points.

 **Yuya - 0 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **Winner: Mitsumi**

Everyone fell silent at Yuya's loss in not only the duel, but the inability to perform Pendulum Summoning like he did with the last duel.

 **"Yuya! Hey! What happened?! Where did that Pendulum Summoning go?!"** demanded Yuzu.

"Seriously, Yuzu?! That's not important!" shouted Mitsumi before rushing to her friend's aid, helping him up. "Yuya, are you okay? I'm sorry if that last blast hurt you real bad."

"It's fine," assured Yuya after standing up. "Thanks."

Later, Yuya and Mitsumi stood in front of the disappointed crowd, with Yuya having to explain his actions earlier. Once he finished, someone from the crowd raised his hand and asked, "Um...I have a question for you."

"S-Sure. What is it?"

"You mentioned a 'Pendulum card' earlier in the duel, right?"

Turning to Yuya, Mitsumi theorized, "Pendulum cards are those special cards required for Pendulum Summoning, right?"

"Oh, well, that's what I went and called it," replied Yuya. "I'm not sure about their official name, though."

"Um...I have a suggestion," said Mitsumi.

"Sure, what's up?"

"We should compare your Pendulum cards with my regular cards and some of my Ritual Monsters."

"Alright, sure."

Holding out both her deck and Yuya's while showing Evigishki Soul Ogre and Timegazer Magician, Mitsumi presented them to the crowd who quickly compared the differences between the two.

"So, that means you can't Pendulum Summon without cards like these?" wondered someone from the crowd.

"That's not fair!"

"Besides, did Pendulum Summoning even exist in the first place?"

"Right! How do we know you didn't even mess around with Ishijima's system? Otherwise, there's no way you could have summoned so many monsters at once!"

"He'd go this far just to beat the Champion?"

"He really is the son of a coward!"

 _'Pfft. Sins of the father, much?'_ thought Mitsumi, disgusted of how these people, who were supposedly "Yuya's fans," were quick to get mad and abandon Yuya as though he was a bug to be exterminated. Not only that, but they pretty much guilt-tripped Yuya for actions he didn't even commit. _'These people really aren't fans! They would never be true friends of Yuya! Friends don't abandon friends like this! But enough about me. I'm more concerned about Yuya. I wonder if he's okay...?'_

Both Yuya and Shuzo tried to stop the crowd, with Yuya trying to explain himself, but the crowd ignored him and further complaint about much he was like his father, or how he was a cheater. Shuzo was run over by the crowd comically while also trying to defend Yuya's actions, so neither could stop the crowd from leaving and quitting on their first day at You Show Duel School.

Pulling down his goggles, Yuya began walking away. Mitsumi knew that whenever he does such an act, he was always depressed and no smiles. "Yuya, wait! Don't listen to them! It's not your fault!" protested Mitsumi.

"Big Bro Yuya is not a cheat!"

Stopping in surprise, Yuya turned around and saw a blue-haired boy, the same one that attended one of his duels a few days ago, standing up for him just as Yuzu and the others arrived from the rec room.

Continuing, the blue-haired boy shouted, "He didn't rig the system! He fought Ishijima fair and square, and beat him! He beat him with Pendulum Summoning!"

Walking up behind the boy, Gongenzaka gently placed his hands on his shoulders, smiling down on the surprised little boy before turning to Yuya. "Yuya! Doesn't it frustrate you that your first fan has to talk like this?!"

"My...first fan?"

Yuzu nodded. "Yup. This kid's Tatsuya-kun, who came here a while ago for a study group."

"He said he became a total fan of yours after he saw your match against Ishijima, Big Brother Yuya!" commented Ayu.

"It totally gave my goosebumps!~" sad Futoshi.

Walking up to Yuya, Tatsuya replied, "I thought you were amazing! Dueling in front of all those people like that! Bringing all those people together with a single duel! I also want to duel like that someday!"

Recalling the duel against Ishijima, Yuya clenched his fists, feeling touched by one small kid, no, his fan's inspirational words. "I...I also want to have a duel like that someday!"

"You already remade yourself during that battle," reminded Gongenzaka. "Into a man that doesn't run away! So, do your best for your fans!"

"We're fans, too!" said Futoshi, rushing over to Tatsuya's side along with Ayu.

"Yeah, you're a big fan of Yuya's, aren't you, Tatsuya-kun?" asked Ayu.

Tatsuya nodded. "Yeah! Of course!"

"And with that, we have a new member for the You Show Duel School!" cheered Futoshi.

Hearing of a new member joining their school roused Shuzo back up on his feet excitedly. "Eh?! You're gonna enter for real?! Alright! My blood's starting to boil!"

Smiling, Yuya lifted up his goggles, no longer depressed. "Guess an entertainer can't let down his fans, huh?"

"Here, Yuya." Mitsumi handed back Yuya's deck to its rightful owner.

Yuya glanced at his deck, swearing, "I swear, I'll master Pendulum Summoning! Yuzu! Gongenzaka! Mitsumi! Duel me!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" interrupted Mitsumi, shaking her head. "You can't duel right now! At least...not until we have a small celebration for the arrival of Tatsuya-kun. I baked a new dessert for everyone to try out! Let's eat and rest up a bit, alright?"

"Yeah, you did take a pretty heavy blow back there," agreed Yuzu. "Guess that means the evil Miss Ishijima won with the help of Maiden of the Lake! Mwahahah! And because the Pendulum Prince was defeated, he is now officially my man slave!"

"Eh?! Man slave?! No way!" complained Yuya. "The Pendulum Prince will triumphant once again and take you down, Miss Strong Ishijima! ...Right after he gets the first, huge slice of that dessert! Mitsumi, where's the dessert?"

"I put it in the main roo-"

"Great, thanks!" Yuya rushed off in a speedy haste with Yuzu following after him.

"Oh no you don't! I'm getting to that dessert first!"

"NEVER!"

"That's not fair! You two had a head start! Wait for me!" called out Shuzo, running out of the room as well.

"Gongenzaka, would you help me with the silverware when we get there?" asked Mitsumi, walking forward.

"I suppose I must. Besides, someone needs to restrain the three when we get there," sighed Gongenzaka. "We wouldn't want this to be Part 10 of the Dessert Wars."

"Yes, I suppose we wouldn't!"

"You're gonna love Big Sis Mitsumi's desserts, Tatsuya-kun! They're the best!" said Ayu, dragging Tatsuya by the arm.

"Yeah! They're delicious!" said Futoshi, following after the two.

* * *

 _Later that day, in a dart room..._

"So...I just gotta steal them? Those Pendulum cards or whatever?" spoke Shingo, talking to a man on his communicator installed in his duel disk. While he was doing so, he continued throwing dart after art towards the targets accurately.

 **"Correct. I won't question your methods. As long as you get them to us. I'll trade you those rare cards you've been after."**

Smirking, Shingo threw the last dart at the poster of Yuya's face. "Roger that."

* * *

 **Skit: Romantic Views**

"So," spoke up Yuzu, smirking. "I heard you were the first to find Yuya. Did you...do anything?"

"We talked," said Mitsumi, blinking.

"I mean, did you become the blueberry to his tomato?"

"...What?"

"She's wondering if you two kissed or something," replied Gongenzaka.

"E-Eh?! No! I would never do such a thing!" exclaimed Mitsumi, embarrassed.

"Oho? Why are you blushing, then?" asked Yuzu.

"Because you brought up kissing! Waaah!"

Yuzu giggled. "If you're this embarrassed about kissing, I wonder how much more red you'll be when it goes beyond that!~"

"W-What about you? I thought you'd act all jealous since you like Yuya."

"Huh?! I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" shouted Yuzu, red-faced.

 _'Yup, the stereotypical response for a girl secretly liking a guy. Then again, I'm no different, except I really don't have feelings for Yuya,'_ thought Mitsumi.

"Anyways, since we're talking about romance, don't you like someone one? Namely a certain guy in school?! One we're all sorta familiar with?!"

"I...I don't have a crush on Gongenzaka!" said Mitsumi.

"...I was talking about Sawatari. Ouch, saying that in front of said person..."

"H-Huh?!" Turning to Gongenzaka, Mitsumi bowed her head over and over. "I-I'm so sorry, Gongenzaka! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!"

Gongenzaka shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, no. You're alright. I don't possess any romantic feelings for you, either. You're just a dear friend to me, that's all."

"Gongenzaka…"

Sweatdropping and shielding her eyes from the light of friendliness, Yuzu thought, _'You know, if they hadn't admitted they were good friends, I would have thought this would be a good romantic confession.'_

* * *

 **Skit: Dessert Wars Chronicles**

"Mmm! So good, Mitsumi-chan!~" cooed Yuya, smiling as he took another bite of the homemade swiss roll Mitsumi made.

"Thank you, Yuya! It's so nice to hear you say that and eat with me and the others!~" said Mitsumi, smiling back.

"Still wish I could have gotten a bigger piece," pouted Yuzu, chewing on her swiss roll.

"Now, no, Yuzu-chan. Everyone got a fair piece, so no complaining, alright? Or you don't get dessert next time."

"Eh?! You can't do that!"

"Technically, she's the one who makes the snacks and desserts, so she has the right to withdraw you from them," reminded Gongenzaka.

"Aww...I'm sorry..."

"So, what's this about the Dessert Wars?" wondered Tatsuya, recalling part of that conversation from earlier after Yuzu, Yuya, and Shuzo ran off.

"Well, let's just say that sometimes, whenever Big Sister Mitsumi makes desserts and shares it with everyone, things get...crazy," said Ayu.

Futoshi nodded. "Yeah! One time, they even had a food fight to get to the biggest piece of one of Big Sis Mitsumi's desserts! Everyone had to clean up and were forbidden from eating her sweets for a month. It definitely sent me goosebumps!~"

"If you want to survive the next Dessert Wars, be sure to give Principal, Big Brother Yuya, and Big Sister Yuzu big pieces! We're lucky this time..."

* * *

 **Skit: Tag Team Roleplay**

"Mwahahaha! Fear my wrath, Pendulum Prince! I, Miss Strong Ishijima, shall take revenge for my master's death, with both my charms, wits, and brainwashing ability I used on the Maiden of the Lake!"

"You fiend! How dare you use the innocent and kind Maiden of the Lake to do your dirty work?! I shall free her and put and end to you, for I am I the Pendulum Prince! Together, with my assistant, Shielder Knight Gongenzaka, we will stop you!"

"Tell me how we got roped into this?" muttered Gongenzaka.

"I...I am so sorry," apologized Mitsumi, weakly laughing.

Both Mitsumi and Gongenzaka were forced to be Tag Team partners for both Yuzu and Yuya, with Yuya taking Gongenzaka, and Mitsumi being Yuzu's partner, so they could resume the roleplay from the exhibition duel earlier.

"And while I still have the advantage, I declare my villainess name changed!" declared Yuzu. "I will hence be known as the Melodious Meister! A much more suited name than 'Miss Strong Ishijima!'"

"Hey! You can't change the insult name I gave you earlier!" complained Yuya.

"So you admit it was an insult?! Well, whatever! I have power and authority, which means I say that my name is changed! Now, Maiden of the Lake! Fight alongside me and taken down the Pendulum Prince and his pathetic knight!"

"Oh, yeah? Come to me, Shielder Knight, and let's take out Miss Strong Ishijima and rescue the Maiden of the Lake!"

"My name isn't that stupid name! It's Melodious Meister!"

"Guess we're doing this, then," sighed Gongenzaka, activating his duel disk. "Best of luck, Mitsumi."

"Y-You too, Gongenzaka!" said Mitsumi.

"Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!"

"They storm through this field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling!"

"ACTION-!"

"DUEL!"

* * *

 **Wow! What a long chapter! It covers the first two episodes of the anime, but it's all well worth it! I hope you like it all and I hope you don't mind the changes I added to this! If you guys have any ideas for the story, please leave it for the reviews or PM me!**

 **That said, read and review!**


	7. Trade Bait

**Wow, sorry, guys! It's really been so long! Anyways, to all you Arc V fans, we all know what'll happen in the next episode, the Shingo episode! Well, there's gonna be changes, so don't worry! I'll do my best!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"Yuya? Gongenzaka! Yuzu-chan! Is anyone still here?" called out Mitsumi, carrying a small basket as she entered the dark hallways of You Show Duel School. Hearing the sounds of dueling in the courtyard, Mitsumi walked faster to reach her friends.

As it turns out, Gongenzaka and Yuya had been dueling ever since the afternoon when Yuya had requested Gongenzaka to assist him in learning more about the recently discovered Pendulum Summoning. Of course, beforehand, Yuzu and Mitsumi helped him as well by forming tag teams, but only for a few duels. A few hours afterwards, everyone left for home, leaving only Gongenzaka and Yuya behind.

After tucking her grandmother to bed, Mitsumi packed up a few snacks and two water bottles to give to Gongenzaka and Yuya before leaving for the school. She knew that under special occasions such as late training, Shuzo would leave the school unlocked, so it was easy for her to access inside. She was correct in her assumption that Yuya and Gongenzaka were still dueling for Yuya's Pendulum Summoning; both of them sweating after who knows how many duels. For her own safety, she laid low on the sidelines with the two duelists barely noticing she was there.

With his turn in play, Yuya attempted to think of how to perform a successful Pendulum Summoning. He knew the specific requirements were for both Timegazer and Stargazer Magician to be on the "Pendulum Scales," but every time he tried to Pendulum Summon different kinds of Monsters, they wouldn't work! Perhaps this time will be different!

"I, using Scale 1 Stargazer Magician, and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, set the Pendulum Scale!" announced Yuya. Much to everyone's amazement, the light pillars containing the two Pendulum Monsters rose in the air just like Yuya's first Pendulum Summoning, so he continued, hoping for success. "Pendulum Summon! Come, my Monsters! Entermate Whip Snake! Entermate Sword Fish! And, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Entermate Whip Snake - (EARTH/Reptile) - LV4 - (1700/900)

Entermate Sword Fish - (WATER/Fish) - LV2 - (600/600)

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV7 - (2500/2000)

"Y-YUYYYYAAAA!" Proud of his best friend's accomplishment over a successful Pendulum Summoning at long last, Gongenzaka ran over and clasped his large palms onto his shoulders; tears of joy springing down his cheeks. "That was the 291st try! I'm ashamed that a man such as myself, Gongenzaka, let it take this long despite being your training partner! Unforgivable! Truly, unforgivable! WAAAAAHHH!"

 _'291 times?! That's how many times they've dueled so far?! Jeez, I know that you want to learn more about Pendulum Summoning, Yuya, but this is ridiculous!'_ thought Mitsumi. _'...Then again, it's not so different from my training long ago...Ugh! Enough about that! Good thing I brought some refreshments over to help them out!'_

While Gongenzaka was sobbing with joy and embracing Yuya tightly, all Yuya could think about was he was finally able to summon a Pendulum Summoning successfully. Because of lack of breaks the whole day, he was both exhausted and starving and hoping that his mother wouldn't yell at him too much when he came back home.

Stepping out from the sidelines, Mitsumi approached both her friends. "Yuya? Gongenzaka?"

Surprised to see Mitsumi, Gongenzaka set Yuya down on the ground, making him sit up straight before turning to her, wiping away his tears in the process. "Mitsumi? What are you doing this late?"

"I got worried and was wondering what you and Yuya were doing when I asked Yuzu how you two were doing. She told me you two were still dueling, so I wanted to see if I could help but offering you guys some refreshments! Sorry, was I interrupting your duel?"

Gongenzaka shook his head and smiled. "No, in fact, I think we're done for today. Yuya looks ready to collapse and I'm tired as well."

"Here, you guys should eat something. It's not much, but you guys deserve a late-night snack for all your hard training today," suggested Mitsumi, taking out some sandwiches for both boys to munch on.

"Thank you..." groaned Yuya, devouring the sandwich out of hunger.

Mitsumi giggled, handing both him and Gongenzaka. "Slow down, Yuya. I have some more sandwiches. Gongenzaka? Are you and Yuya going to be okay?"

The muscled teenager nodded. "Thanks to you, we will. Thank you. To repay for your kindness for the refreshments, I, the man, Gongenzaka, shall escort both you and Yuya personally back to your homes!"

"Thank you, Gongenzaka, I'll take you up on that offer. Just rest up a bit first before we head out, okay?"

"Agreed!"

* * *

 _The next day..._

"I still can't believe you collapsed at school, kiddo! What made you think dueling all day yesterday without any breaks was a good idea?!" yelled Yoko, placing a wet rag over her son's feverish forehead as Yuya coughed and laid on his bed. "You are so grounded for a week! No dueling during that time!"

"Nooooo…." whined Yuya, weakly throwing a small tantrum. Because of exhaustion and stress from yesterday after 291 duels, Yuya had fallen ill to a fever during class and fell unconscious, thus was sent home early as a result.

Yuzu and Mitsumi sweatdropped as they stood at Yuya's bedroom door, listening to Yoko berate her son and Yuya complaining about not getting to duel to discover more of his Pendulum Summoning. It was just after school, and being the good friends they are, they wanted to visit their best friend and help him. Unfortunately, Gongenzaka couldn't come as he was training with his father at his father's dojo.

"But Mom...!"

"No buts! It's not like the end of the world is coming if you don't practice Pendulum Summoning! Look, I get you wanna learn more, but you have plenty of time! Getting sick and complaining won't help! Just rest!"

"Fine..."

Yoko sighed and got up, approaching the girls who came to visit Yuya. "I'm sorry for letting you see all that, girls. I noticed that Yuya left his schoolbag in class, so if it would be alright, could you girls go get it and deliver it back tomorrow?"

"Oh! Could you get my Pendulum cards too?" called out Yuya as loud as he could in his weakened, sick state. "I think they're in my lunchbox..."

"I'm gonna confiscate those cards when they return!" warned Yoko, glaring at her son before turning back to the girls. "But, yes, could you return his lunchbox as well?"

Yuzu and Mitsumi nodded before Yuzu snapped her fingers. "Ah! I remember! I'm gonna be super busy after school! Dad wants me to help him with the new Solid Vision system we got!"

"But, Yuya's schoolbag is in his desk, right?" wondered Mitsumi. "How about you give me his schoolbag, and I'll deliver it to Yuya after school?"

"Yeah! Sounds like a plan!"

* * *

 _The next day, at school..._

When the bell rang for lunchtime, Yuzu spotted Mitsumi walking down the hallway and rushed up to her, holding onto not only her lunchbox, but what seemed to be Yuya's schoolbag as well. "Mitsumi-chan!"

"Oh! Yuzu-chan! I was just about to head over to your classroom. Is that Yuya's schoolbag?" asked Mitsumi, glancing at it.

Yuzu nodded before letting out a sigh. "Yuya's really lucky that nobody stole it or that the janitor didn't pick it up. I found it inside of his desk, luckily."

"Great!" said Mitsumi. "Um...I normally don't like looking through someone else's belongings, especially if-"

"I know. Let's just say this is just a one-time thing. It's not as though we're searching the entire bag; just his lunchbox. Come one, let's go meet up with Gongenzaka."

"Okay!"

One of Shingo's friends, Kamimoto, was heading down the hallways, bypassing both girls when something caught his interest after accidentally eavesdropping on the girls' conversation while they walked towards their destination.

"Still, I can't believe that not only did Yuya leave his schoolbag here, but he put his Pendulum cards inside of his lunchbox! I mean, seriously! Who puts their own cards inside of a greasy box?"

"T-To be fair, Yuzu-chan, Yuya did collapse all of a sudden yesterday, so he probably didn't have time to gather his stuff. That, and you know he's been into studying Pendulum Summoning lately, so maybe he wanted to check out his Pendulum cards during lunch!"

"Yeah, you're probably right. Still, he should be more careful! I swear, if I see a single speck of food on either one of his cards, I'm gonna kill him!"

 _'Yuya Sakaki left his Pendulum cards here? Well, I did hear he did get sick all of a sudden yesterday. Wait! This is a great opportunity to get those Pendulum cards! I gotta tell Shingo!'_ thought Kamimoto, increasing his pace as he hurried to reach Shingo and his other two friends.

The rest of the school day went by smoothly with no trouble other than the most dreaded thing most students hated; homework. That, and upcoming tests for both Yuzu and Mitsumi in their respective classes.

"I hate homework, and I especially hate the history test that's coming up!" whined Yuzu as she and Mitsumi headed out of the junior high school. "Why? Why do such torturous things exist?!"

Mitsumi giggled. "Now, now, Yuzu. You know that deep down, those are good for you. I'll help you study around...er...tomorrow? Yeah, I'll have to check."

"...Will there be strawberry shortcake?"

"You'll get a slice if you get the first review complete with no wrong answers."

"Then, it's a date!"

The two girls then spotted Ayu, Tatsuya, and Futoshi standing near the school gates, waving and calling out for them. They approached the excited children, bending down a little to reach their level.

"What's up, guys?" asked Yuzu. "It's so nice for you three to greet us!"

"Yeah, yeah!" said Futoshi.

"Ooh! Where's Yuya-niichan? We heard he managed to perform a Pendulum Summoning perfectly!" said Ayu.

"I wanna see it, too!" said Tatsuya.

 _'Ah...Figures. They only wanted to see Yuya. Well, they're just kids,'_ thought Mitsumi, sweatdropping. "I-I'm sorry, but Yuya got sick yesterday, so I'm afraid he won't be able to Pendulum Summon today."

The disappointed and sadden looks that now emerged on their faces were expected. "Awww...That's too bad!" stated Futoshi.

"I-is he alright?" asked Ayu.

"I think he should be better by tomorrow," pondered Mitsumi.

Yuzu snapped her fingers. "I got it! Me and Mitsumi were about to visit Yuya, so why don't we all visit him together?"

"Yay!" cheered the three children happily.

"Oh, but be careful not to get too close to him when we visit!" warned Mitsumi. "We don't want any of you to get sick, okay?"

"Okay, Mitsumi-neechan!" All three children quickly agreed, nodding their heads. As the group turned to make their way, three sucker-tipped darts flew out of nowhere and hit Mitsumi directly on her forehead, surprising everyone.

"Wah!" cried out Mitsumi, cringing from the harmless shots that hit her. _'Wait...Oh, great. Eh, he hasn't bothered me all week today, which is a record. Might as well hear what he has to say.'_

"Triple bullseye! 150 Points!" announced Shingo, walking towards Mitsumi. "Pretty impressive, right?"

"Oh. _You,"_ stated Yuzu bluntly, clearly expressing her annoyance and dislike at Shingo. "What do you want now, Sawatari? Come to torment Mitsumi-chan again?"

"N-Now, now, Yuzu-chan! Let's hear what he has to say!" suggested Mitsumi.

Shingo's smile beamed bright like the sun. "See? You could use Mitsumi-chan's example and be more outgoing, kind, and much more mature like her, Hiiragi-kun!~"

Yuzu's jaw dropped before her expression twisted to that of fury as she stomped her foot. "How dare you?! Are you saying I'm none of those things?!" She turned towards the children, and her scary, angered expression was not helping them stay calm. "You don't think I'm not one of those things Sawatari said, do you?!"

It took only a moment for the children to attempt to think happy thoughts while not wishing to be the other end of Yuzu's anger.

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _"Mitsumi! I can't believe you didn't do that combo we talked about earlier!"_

 _"Waaah! I'm sorry!"_

 _"We're doing it again!"_

 _"But, we've been dueling for about an hour and-"_

 _"And we're improving! Now pick up your duel disk!"_

 _"Eeek! Okay!"_

* * *

 _Flashback..._

 _"YUYA SAKAKI!"_

 _"Now, Yuzu...Put down the fan...it was just an accident!"_

 _"Attacking me directly was fine, but using a wind attack on me when you could have used Odd-Eyes was really awful! Everyone saw underneath my skirt, for crying out loud!"_

 _"Well, if you put on shorts like Mitsumi does underneath her own skirt, this wouldn't be an issue!"_

 _"I-! Wait, why do you know that?"_

 _"..."_

 _"..."_

 _"...NONONO WAIT! It's not like that!"_

 _"YUYA, YOU PERVERT!"_

* * *

Instead of answering Yuzu's question, the three children simply turned away, either having a sudden interest in the ground, or whistling a tune.

Yuzu's eye twitched, deciding to address the issue later before moving back to the current issue at hand. "So, why are you here?"

Plucking the darts off Mitsumi's forehead, Shingo gently grasped one of Mitsumi's hand and informed her, "To ask her out on a date, of course!"

"No."

"I wasn't asking you, pigtails," Shingo scowled at Yuzu before looking at Mitsumi with a bright smile, getting down on one knee and kissing her hand lightly. If anyone else were watching this, it would appear like a prince proposing to his lover. "Mitsumi Nazuno, will you do me the honor of going on a date with me?"

The three children behind Mitsumi and Shingo were taken aback with awe as they watched the scene before them. "This is so romantic!~" squealed Ayu, blushing madly while grinning widely. "She just has to say yes! It's the rule! A prince proposing his love to a princess is just so romantic!"

"It...is pretty romantic," said Tatsuya, shyly scratching the side of his cheek.

"Mitsumi-neechan and...um...prince guy! Sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" teased Futoshi, making smooching noises afterwards.

It was already bad enough that Shingo asked her out on a date, (again) but doing so in front of not just Yuzu, but the children as well, in which they were expecting her to say yes? Really bad, as she didn't want to give out a bad impression, and she was growing more embarrassed at hearing Futoshi sing the childish love song.

"I-I..." Mitsumi's cheeks redden, blushing madly and pondering on what to do.

"Hey, Mitsumi-chan?" muttered Yuzu lowly. "Don't you remember? We still have to visit Yuya and return his Pendulum cards!"

Mitsumi brightened up, relieved that thanks to Yuzu, she was able to find an excuse to avoid the date. "Yes! I mean, I'm sorry, Sawatari-san, but I can't go on a date with you. I have to visit Yuya, who's sick today. I promised."

Shingo fought the urge to scowl once more, instead silently clicking his tongue in annoyance. He had been wanting to date Mitsumi for a while, but this time, he wanted to trick her into a date to steal the Pendulum cards she had, hoping to lure her away with little to no witnesses as possible, but it looks like he'll have to strategize alternatively. It would be quite easy to manipulate the weak-willed, shy beauty before him.

"Oh, come on, Mitsumi-chan! Just one hour! In fact, it...uh...doesn't even have to be a date! It's just a simple tour trip! In fact, you can bring Hiiragi-kun and those three cute little kids with you!" suggested Shingo.

"And where exactly would we be going?"

"LDS, of course! I got a reservation for the LDS Center Court!" answered Shingo, checking his watch. "Since my Dad's most likely going to be mayor, when I asked him, he gladly lent me the reservation!"

"Eh? You want to take me and the others to not only a tour, but you want to duel as well?"

Shingo nodded. "Well, the duel is only an additional part. Then again, I do want to help you improve from our last duel. Just think; a free tour and then one, simple little duel. All of this for just one hour of your time. Not a bad deal, no?"

"Um...well...I guess one hour couldn't possibly hurt," said Mitsumi.

"Hey, Mitsumi!" cried out Yuzu, shocked. "Why are you agreeing to this?! Sawatari's a bully! The one constantly bothering you almost everyday!"

"It's not that bad. At least, not this time," Mitsumi lightly argued. "It's just a small, one-hour tour. It's not that bad and I don't really see anything wrong going on with this. We can visit Yuya afterwards. Sawatari-san already planned reservations and besides, Ayu-chan, Tatsuya-kun, and Futoshi-kun want to see the inside of LDS. You can tell from their excited looks."

"Yeah! I wanna see!" cheered Tatsuya.

"Please, Yuzu-neechan? Can we please go?" pleaded Ayu.

"Just the thought of going to LDS gives me the shivers!~" cooed Futoshi excitedly.

Yuzu frowned, reminding her friends one simple little fact. "It's not like we can't do it at our place too, you know. Dueling at the LDS Center Court when we can just do so at the You Show Duel School."

"But, Yuzu-neechan! It's the LDS Center Court!" begged Futoshi.

"Center Court! Center Court!" chanted Tatsuya and Ayu. Altogether, the trio children got up close to Yuzu and performed their best puppy-dog eyes impression, and with the combination of such an effective technique along with their cuteness, it was more than enough to convince Yuzu.

"...Rrrgh! Fine!" Yuzu agreed, frustrated. "But, I'm still going, too! Not only as a member of a rival Dueling School to check out the competition, but also to protect you all!" She glared at Shingo, who flinched at her fierce, tiger-like glare. "No funny business, okay, Sawatari?"

"You have my word, milady," replied Shingo, bowing politely.

"Don't get so cute," growled Yuzu, grabbing Mitsumi's hand tightly. "Let's go! Lead the way, rich boy!"

"As you wish!~ Although, I would prefer it if you would allow me Mitsumi-chan's ha-"

"Oh, no! I'm not letting her out of my sights, so you can forget it! Just be glad that she agreed to your request, bucko!"

"Fine, fine!" Well, it did take some time, but Shingo was at last able to convince Mitsumi to come along with him to the LDS Center Court, although there were some unexpected setbacks. They were minor though, as his plan to steal the Pendulum cards was coming into fruition.

Sometime later, the group arrived, entering through the automatic doors of the large LDS building. Impressed by LDS' interior areas, Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi expressed their joy as they gazed upon the many different shops, dueling areas, and other activities within the LDS building. Many refreshment shops and card shops were everywhere, along with students dueling, trading cards, studying, or talking amongst themselves.

"Welcome to LDS!" announced Shingo, acting as the tour guide as he lead the group further within the building. "Leo Duel School, or LDS for short, is a Duel School run by the Leo Corporation. Of course, attending the school itself is invitation only."

"It's the top-ranked institution, too!" added Tatsuya. "The best, if not, one of the best, Dueling Schools in the world!"

"Wow, Tatsuya!" gasped Futoshi. "You sure know a lot about this place!"

"Well, my Mom kept telling me that here would've been a better choice!"

Tatsuya's comment briefly reminded Mitsumi of her deceased and cruel parents, and she pretended to look at a different area to hide her pained expression. If her parents were still alive, and she honestly was glad they weren't, they would have forced her to attend this Dueling School, no questions asked. If she had, well, she would have been an entirely different person than the person she is right now. It was such a huge relief for her that she didn't catch any attention to this school, otherwise, like what Shingo stated, she would have gotten an invitation long ago.

"The best in facilities, lectures, and curriculum is their motto!" praised Shingo.

"So, basically, it's got everything our Duel School doesn't!" replied Ayu cheerfully.

Shingo smiled softly at her. "You're pretty well-informed."

Taking offense, Yuzu grumbled, "Well, sorry we're just a run-down school, after all!"

"Now, now! No need to get mad!" said Futoshi, still excited over sightseeing such amazing things within LDS. "Cheap places have their strong points, too!"

"I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or offense," Yuzu muttered, still bummed over the fact that LDS is considerably more better than their school in reality. "But, I have to admit, LDS does cover things we don't have, like Synchro, XYZ, and Fusion Summoning. They've got courses for those!"

"...That seems pretty stupid and a bit of a waste of time," Mitsumi muttered, slightly annoyed at that bit of knowledge.

Having heard Mitsumi's statement, Shingo ceased walking and turned to her, walking up close to her. "Oh? You think LDS is stupid? That's nonsense!"

"Hey, don't get so close to her!" warned Yuzu, bringing out her paper fan.

Shingo grimaced at the sight of her paper fan, having been a victim far too many times because of it. Doing what he was told, Shingo backed away a little from Mitsumi before shrugging his shoulders. "I'm just saying! LDS is the best Dueling School around! And I, as a top student here, have experienced some of its programs, and they are way better than my tutors back when I first started learning how to duel. Or, do you know something that I don't?"

Mitsumi couldn't help but mutter, "A lot of things, actually."

"...What?"

"Hey, aren't we gonna get to the Center Court soon?" whined Futoshi.

"Yeah! I wanna see it, too!" said Ayu, jumping up and down.

Mitsumi nodded. "Y-Yeah! Let's get going, okay? Sawatari-san?"

"O-Of course!" As Shingo continued escorting the group, he couldn't help but get suspicious over Mitsumi's somewhat sassy attitude earlier, wondering where it came from all of a sudden. Thinking it was just for a brief moment, he shook it off as nothing and focused more on his plan to obtain the Pendulum cards.

Exiting the main building and heading towards the outside dueling fields, the group bypassed outdoor dueling areas strictly inside gardenhouse-like dueling fields and headed straight for the biggest dueling field of LDS; the Center Court.

The Center Court was mainly a large stadium, fit enough to hold thousands of people within, and possibly more. In fact, it was the very same large dueling field in which Yuya and Strong Ishijima dueled beforehand and where Yuya discovered Pendulum Summoning. Normally, people aren't allowed inside unless there was a tournament involved using the Center Court or reservation duels, just as Shingo had done earlier.

While the three children marveled over the largest dueling field they had ever laid eyes upon, Mitsumi spotted Shingo's other friends, Ootomo, Kakimoto, and Yamabe, approaching their way and felt a bit uneased, so she hid behind Yuzu, placing her shaky palms onto her arm. Noticing the three of them coming, Yuzu took out her paper fan and frowned.

"What's this about, Sawatari? You never told us that your friends would be here," said Yuzu, sapphire eyes narrowing at Shingo.

Shingo's gentle, prince-like smile quickly reverted to that of a menacing, crazed grin before he snapped his fingers. His three friends quickly got to work, rushing forward and surrounding the group before they grabbed ahold of Yuzu and the three children, holding them captive under their grasp.

"H-Hey! Let us go!" yelled Yuzu, struggling to break free as Ayu, Tatsuya, and Futoshi cried out and wiggled around to obtain their own freedom.

"W-What's going on?!" wondered Mitsumi, shocked at the sudden change in events.

"It's quite simple, really. Mitsumi-chan, you are no doubt a smart and beautiful girl, but even your smarts have their limits, and today just isn't your day," mocked Shingo, tsking and shaking his head before effortlessly moving a strand of hair away from his face. "See, let's just say that I found out that Yuya isn't here because he's sick, but he left his schoolbag behind. And what's inside his schoolbag? His Pendulum cards! And since you're going to give your dear, sick boy back his belongings..."

Hiding her disgust under a face of concern, Mitsumi finished his sentence for him. "...You figured that by creating this dating, tour scenario, you'd get your hands on the Pendulum cards before they return to their original owner, correct?"

"That's right! So, you can be smart sometimes! You see, I love strong and rare cards, but I despise weak cards the most. So, adding those Pendulum cards will not only increase my rare card collection, but grant me the ability to Pendulum Summon as well!"

While still struggling for freedom, Yuzu still overheard everything. "So, that's why you lured us in! You just wanted the Pendulum cards for yourself!"

"True, This was originally going to be a fake date between me and Mitsumi-chan, but then you just had to ruin everything and delay a few things," scowled Shingo. "Luckily, I came up with this amazing plan last minute to keep you and those kids captive. So, Mitsumi-chan, you know the drill. Hand me the Pendulum cards and I'll release your friends."

"Don't do it, Mitsumi!" yelled Yuzu. "We'll be fine! Sawatari and his lackeys can't hurt us! Our lives aren't in danger, after all!"

Shingo chuckled maliciously. "You're right! ...At the moment. But, if I just leave you three hanging on a ledge in one of the Action Fields, hanging for your lives, then what would you think would happen?"

"NO!" yelled Ayu and Tatsuya as Futoshi started crying out of fear.

Hands curled up into fists so tightly that they turned white, Mitsumi was trying to find a better solution so that they could all escape safely. _'I could do it, I could just go over there and punch him straight in his smug little face,'_ she thought, fighting the urge to do so.

* * *

 _Mitsumi's imagination..._

 _Mitsumi pulled out the Pendulum cards and was just about to hand them over to Shingo...when she suddenly kicked him straight between the legs. As Shingo howled and curled up in pain, Mitsumi would throw her schoolbag at one of the lackeys' face, causing him to release the kids as he cradled his face in pain. Then, she would rush over, grip both of the other two lackeys' heads and bang them together, thus releasing Yuzu. The group would then make their escape from there._

* * *

 _'...I don't know if it'll work, but I'm not risking it,'_ thought Mitsumi, deciding to do what Shingo ordered her. She walked over cautiously and fished out the Pendulum cards from inside of her schoolbag, handing over the cards.

"Mitsumi! No!" cried out Yuzu, infuriated.

Snatching the cards from her hands, Shingo glanced at the cards and quickly confirmed they were the real deal. Afterwards, he turned and gently placed a hand under her chin, tilting it so she would be forced face-to-face with him, leaning in close.

 _'Oh, crap! Don't tell me he's gonna kiss me! This is not how I wanted my first kiss to be!'_ thought Mitsumi, squeezing her eyes shut.

"You know, as tempting as it is to kiss you, I do still have another side goal to accomplish," spoke Shingo, lowering his hand down away from her chin. "I still have to test out these new cards, and what better than to test them out on you, my sweet little guinea pig? Hey, guys! You wan to see a Pendulum Summoning, right?"

All of Shingo's friends voiced their enthusiasm. "Yeah, yeah!"

"Of course!"

"I wanna see it!"

Putting on his D-Pad on his arm, Shingo further explained, "That's why I got a reservation for the Center Court."

Slowly opening her eyes at the realization of a duel, Mitsumi began to protest. "W-Wait a minute-!"

"It's fine, isn't it? Besides, doesn't everyone want to learn how to Pendulum Summon? Why not learn it from yours truly?" With that said, Shingo playfully poked at Mitsumi's forehead repeatedly, eventually causing her to fall down on her bottom.

"Hey! You jerk!" cried out Futoshi.

"Leave Mitsumi-neechan alone!" shouted Ayu.

Sitting up straight and rubbing her forehead, Mitsumi looked up at Shingo as he approached her. "W-Wait..."

"Oh, what now?" groaned Shingo. "Do you not want to duel with someone like me?"

A ringing noise echoed from Shingo's D-Pad before a man's voice came through. **"That's enough. Your job was only to get us the Pendulum cards."**

 _'Job? That means that Sawatari was hired by someone!'_ thought Mitsumi, alarmed. _'Figures. It was only going to be a matter of time before some corrupted filth tried to get their greedy hands on Yuya's cards.'_

Chuckling, Shingo shook his head. "Ah, Nakajima-san. Unfortunately, that wasn't my goal. I've wanted these cards for my self from the start."

The man behind the other line, Nakajima, didn't take lightly to Shingo's response. **"What are you thinking?! Don't do anything unnecessa-"**

The line suddenly cut off, but there were some light muttering behind the intercom before the line hung up. _'Nakajima, huh? Don't know who that is, but I guess it doesn't matter now,'_ thought Mitsumi, standing up.

"So, looks like you're ready to duel then. Fantastic!" said Shingo before snapping his fingers.

The snap of his fingers alerted the signal for Shingo's friends to act. They started dragging their already struggling captives elsewhere. "Hey, wait! I thought that if I gave you the Pendulum cards, you would let them go!"

Shingo shook his head. "Oh, naïve, little Mitsumi-chan...I'll let them go, but only as the captives of our little duel!"

"W-What are you saying?"

"You'll find out soon enough. Oh, I do hope you improved from last time, because if you haven't, my superior and newly improved deck is going to outclass your trashy, weak deck!"

"Oh, why don't you just shove it wh-" Having caught herself during her outburst, Mitsumi calmed down and took out her D-Pad. _'That was close! I need to calm down and think this through!'_ "...Um...You will release my friends either way, whether I win or lose?"

"DON'T LOSE TO THIS ASSHOLE, MITSUMI-CHAN!" yelled Yuzu from around the corner.

"I have no more use for them once the outcome of this duel has been decided," replied Shingo confidently. "You may do with them as you please whether or not you win or not. But, that's a big IF you win, and trust me, you've never won against me."

 _'That's because I held back, you pompous prick,'_ thought Mitsumi, frowning. _'This time, I'll have to be extremely careful. I'll just have to play the role of the shy girl who somehow manages to win. If I'm lucky, he won't be able to use the Pendulum cards.'_

* * *

 _Meanwhile..._

In a hidden security room within LDS, the president of said company, Reiji Akaba, was about the observe the duel alongside his trusty assistant, Nakajima. Nakajima was still furious that Shingo, while he successfully obtained the Pendulum cards, disobeyed a direct order and chose to keep the cards for himself. Reiji, on the other hand, remained calm and decided it would be better to observe the duel with the cards.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, sir?"

"Yes, let this play out."

* * *

"I'll decide the field!" declared Shingo. "That, which imprisons feeble princesses, rise up here and now! Action Field ON! Prison Tower of Darkville!"

At the declaration of the chosen Action Field, the Solid Vision system automatically activated, causing light to illuminate beneath the ground. Not only that, but chains suddenly conjured up from the ground, surrounding Yuzu and the children as the ground beneath them rose up in the form of a tall, chained tower with no escape routes.

"You're no hero, but the princess should be imprisoned in the tower, don't you agree?" called out Shingo, leaning against another building as the entire Prison Tower of Darkville took form of a large and dark city.

Wasting no time, Mitsumi rushed to her friends' aid, being guided by their screams of terror as she leapt from building to building to reach them. Eventually, she reached a blockage in the form of another street with several tall buildings and a water canal between the rising prison tower.

"What the heck is going on?!" cried out Futoshi, frightened.

"The Solid Vision has started materializing so we're being affected by it, too!" explained Tatsuya.

"Ok, but this is TOO REAL!"

Seeing as she was too far away and that the next buildings were way too tall for her to jump nor were there any ladders to climb, Mitsumi opted to run down the street and hope to find some boat at the water canal or an entrance to the tower bridge to reach the prison tower, which had become part of the bridge.

"Hold on! I'm coming!" called out Mitsumi, who managed to climb down from the previous building she was in. Just as she landed on the ground and was about to start running, Shingo caught her wrist and stopped her from proceeding further.

"If you want to save them, then duel me!" challenged Shingo.

 _'I know Sawatari's cruel, but I didn't think he'd go to this extent!'_ thought Mitsumi. "Why go this far?! If you just wanted a duel, you didn't need to involve innocents into this! Or, is this some cruel way for you to force me to date you?"

"Ooh! Even better!" said Shingo. "How about this? You win, you get your friends and the Pendulum cards back! I win, well, like I said, you'll still get your friends back, but I still get the Pendulum cards, and you have to go out on a date with me!"

"How is that fair?"

"Oh! And you have to wear a maid costume on our date!"

 _'...WHY?!'_ Mitsumi wanted to yell out, but kept it to herself. "A-Alright! But you'll still keep your promise if I win, right? You won't harm us again, right?"

"Mitsumi-chan...are you in any position to make demands of me?" questioned Shingo sweetly, cherishing her chin with his hand once more.

"..." Mitsumi sighed. "I guess not. I...I guess I'll accept your duel."

"That's the smartest thing you've said all day!~" praised Shingo, releasing her and allowing her to back away for some space between them. "As a reward for your obedience, I'll even let you go first. Trust me, you'll need it."

 _'I totally wanna punch his face right now. I REALLY WANT TO!'_ thought Mitsumi as she kept a straight, calm composure and put on her D-Pad, thus activating her duel disk.

"Looks like you're finally up to do this. Let's get to it, shall we?"

Shingo's friends were the first to recite the usual Action Dueling chant to initiate the start of the duel. "Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!"

"They storm through this field!"

At the end of the line, Shingo shouted alongside his friends, "Behold! This is the newest and grea-Where are you going?!"

Around halfway throughout the Action Duel incantation, Mitsumi grew impatient and hurried towards the water canal, where her captive friends were around the area. "This is the newest and greatest-I get it! Duel, duel, duel! Let's just start the duel!"

"Hey!" Giving chase, Shingo ran as well. "You can't just do that! I didn't even get to finish my line! Hey, are you even listening?!"

"Suck a dick!"

"I'm sorry, excuse me?!"

"I-I said that it's my turn!" _'Gotta be careful! Don't want to create any suspicion towards shy ol' Mitsumi!'_ "Yeah! It's my turn!"

Shingo blinked while continuously running, rubbing the inside of his ear to make sure he wasn't having any hearing problems. For an instance, he actually thought he heard shy and kind Mitsumi swear. "R-Right! Just start the duel!"

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Shingo - 4000 LP**

While running, Mitsumi glanced at her cards. She didn't have that bad of a hand, but her Monsters were water-based, so other than floating, they couldn't do much while in land-based environments. Luckily, there was a water canal up ahead, so she could use one of her water-based Monsters to swim her towards the tower.

"I summon Gishki Mollusk in Attack Mode!' called out Mitsumi.

Gishki Mollusk - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (1700/900)

"I set a card facedown and end my turn!"

Coming to a halt, Shingo drew his card next. "My turn, draw!" Upon looking at his hand, he was pleased to see that one of the five cards he had drawn from the start of the duel was one of the Pendulum cards. Just before he could make his move, a voice from his D-Pad's intercom stopped him.

 **"Not yet."**

"And who are you?" questioned Shingo, glaring at his D-Pad at the unknown caller. "I'm at a good point right now."

 **"I thought I told you, _not yet."_**

Shingo didn't know why, but that firm tone brought fear into his body, as though his instincts were forcing him to obey the order. Smirking, Shingo wiped the sweat off his forehead and, to hide his previous fear, reassured the voice, "What are you getting so upset for? I got it, I got it! I summon Lightning Hoverboard!"

Lightning Hoverboard - (LIGHT/Thunder) - LV4 - (1400/1200)

While running alongside her summoned Monster, Mitsumi took a quick glance at Shingo's Monster, as he was using it as quick transportation to ride across the rooftops of the buildings. _'It's a good thing I summoned Mollusk first. His Attack Points are superior compared to Lightning Hoverboard's own Attack Points. What's he planning?'_

"You may have the stronger Monster for now, but that's all part of my plan, too," murmured Shingo as both duelists made their way towards the tower.

Because she had run ahead first, Mitsumi was the first to arrive at the bridge. While making her way towards the tall prison tower, she spotted an Action Card just lying on the ground. Just as she was about to pick it up out of curiosity, she stopped herself and shook her head.

 _'What am I thinking?! If Sawatari was the one who picked out this Action Field, it's obviously to his advantage not just because he knows the landmarks, but also where and which Action Cards there might be! For all I know, this could just be an Action Trap!'_ thought Mitsumi, running ahead. _'I must be seriously getting rusty, purposely losing all of these duels like they were some daily routine!'_

 _'Tch! She didn't fall for that! What tipped her off?'_ thought Shingo, annoyed. "Are you sure you don't want to get that?" he called out, standing outside of the bridge's perimeters for his own safety. "It might be a really good Action card!"

Running to the bridge's railings, Mitsumi called back, "If it's really good, then why don't you come here and grab it yourself? I already decided not to, so why don't you come get it?"

"I...Someone like me doesn't need to!"

"That's not a really good answer. I'm starting to think it's one of those Action Traps!"

Shingo tried to make up a good excuse. "W-Well...it's not! So you don't need to worry about that!"

"...I don't believe you," deadpanned Mitsumi, cutting ties with the conversation they were having by turning away and walking off. The corner of her eye caught sight of a random Action Card lying against the bridge railings, so without thinking, she grabbed it, only to realize it was an Action Trap. 'GAH!"

"Ahahahaha! What an idiotic move you just made!" laughed Shingo. "The Action Trap: Jump Shot! Now your Monster's Attack Points decrease by 400!"

A gigantic, marble cue ball sprung out from the clouded skies and crashed down on Mollusk; flattening the WATER Attribute Monster and causing an impact big enough to make Mitsumi fall back on the grounds of the bridge. Because of the large crater the cue ball created in the middle of the bridge, various cracks were formed from the impact and were slowly connecting with each other, beginning the process of the destruction of the bridge.

Gishki Mollusk - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (1300/900)

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! I'll admit, you had some pretty good intuition to avoid that first Action Trap, but now you've foolishly fallen for the second trap, and you've got no one to blame for yourself!" tsked Shingo, wagging his finger. "Battle! Lightning Hoverboard, attack Gishki Mollusk!"

Crossing his swords in an X-formation, Gishki Mollusk acted as a shield in front of Mitsumi, taking in the full blast of the lightning darts aimed at him, thus being electrocuted as a result. Several of the lightning darts missed their marks on the target, thus hitting the ground and creating more cracks which joined the web of cracks that spelled the demise of the bridge.

 **Mitsumi - 3900 LP**

 **Shingo - 4000 LP**

Before Mitsumi could do anything, part of the bridge gave way from the numerous cracks, collapsing into heaps of rubble that submerged into the water. Unfortunately, Mitsumi was around in the area of that part of the bridge, so she didn't have time to escape as she landed in the water as well. Because of the destruction of half of the bridge, the prison tower was heavily affected as well, tilting dangerously to the side as the captives tried to hold on for safety.

"I end my turn!" announced Shingo. "But, it looks like it might be the end for that tower."

Mitsumi's head popped out of the water, gasping for breath as she began to swim her way to shore. She coughed violently, trying to get the water out of her lungs as she climbed out of the water and safely for land. How could she be so stupid, just grabbing that Action Card? And after not falling for Shingo's first trap as well?

"Y-Yuzu...Everyone!" Mitsumi sat up, still trying to recover from her latest incident as she glanced over at the damaged prison tower where her friends were being held captive.

Screams echoed from the top of the prison tower as it was ready to give way should one more big impact affect it. Both Ayu and Tatsuya were clinging onto Yuzu strongly while the girl had her hands full; one hand being on the huge chains to keep everyone steady, while the other one was desperately trying not to release its grip on Futoshi, who was trying hard not to let go.

"Futoshi-kun! Are you alright?" called out Yuzu.

"Nee-chan! Yuzu-neechan! I don't wanna fall! Waaaah!" cried out Futoshi as tears formed on the corner of his eyes.

"Futoshi-kun! Boys shouldn't cry! We have to stay strong!"

"Yeah! That's right!" agreed Ayu.

"Mitsumi-neechan is trying her best to set us free! She's still struggling and she's not crying! That's why, no matter what, I won't shed a tear!" shouted Tatsuya confidently, placing his trust in Mitsumi.

"Everyone..." Touched by their trust in her, Mitsumi was even more resolved to save them. "Don't worry! Just hold on a little bit longer! I'll come save you!"

"Such bravery! While I do love your adorable shyness, I can't help but like that tiny bit of feistiness as well!" praised Shingo, having caught up to Mitsumi. "If it ended here, our gallery would be quite disappointed."

"...Please tell me you're done with your turn," said Mitsumi.

"But, of course! By all means, begin yours!"

"Draw!" Mitsumi shouted hastily. "I summon Gishki Abyss in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Abyss - (WATER/Fish) - LV2 - (800/500)

"When he's summoned, I get to add 1 Gishki Monster with 1000 or less Defense Points from my deck to my hand! I choose Gishki Zielgigas!" said Mitsumi. _'He's an extremely powerful Ritual Monster in terms of attack, so if I play my cards right, I should be able Ritual Summon him. I don't have the necessary materials to Ritual Summon him this turn, though.'_ "Abyss!"

Upon hearing her call, the shark-like Gishki Monster dove headfirst into the water, emerging quickly and offering his back to his mistress. Splashing into the water, Mitsumi swam towards Gishki Abyss and wrapped her arms around his neck, thus allowing the Gishki Monster to swim across the water at a rapidly fast pace.

"Her Life Points have only decreased by 100," muttered Shingo, eyeing Mitsumi's back as the target for another one of his dart-shooting games. "I'll shoot it down to 0 and finish this. Everything's going exactly as planned...Hey! Did you end you-"

"I end my turn!" shouted Mitsumi.

"Oh. Well, that works fine for me!" After drawing his card, Shingo was surprised, but quickly figured out his next course of action. "I Tribute Lightning Hoverboard to activate Tribute Trade! Now, I add 1 Monster whose Level is one Level higher than the one I released to my hand! I add the Level 5 Stargazer Magician to my hand!"

While onboard her swimming Monster vessel, Mitsumi was surprised to learn about his recently added Monster, which so happened to be Yuya's card. "Did you say Stargazer Magician?"

"That's right! One of MY Pendulum cards!"

Mitsumi couldn't help but burst out in anger, "Stop calling them that, you thief! They belong to Yuya, not you!"

"Ooh! And that feistiness continues!"

Holding her sharp tongue back, Mitsumi decided to correct him, "You do realize that you can't Pendulum Summon with just one card, right?"

"Oh, I'm quite aware. I have seen Yuya-kun's sweet performance, after all," spoke Shingo confidently. "But you should know one extra thing; Timegazer Magician, the other Pendulum card, has been in my hand from the start of this duel! That just goes to show how special a chosen person like myself truly is! A super rare human like myself is suited to use super rare cards like these! I'm just too suited for these cards!"

 _'Okay, you just got lucky. It was just a coincidence that one of the Pendulum cards just happened to be in your hand on your first turn,'_ thought Mitsumi, annoyed as Gishki Abyss swam to a halt in the middle of swimming.

 **"Set the Pendulum cards,"** ordered the mysterious voice from Shingo's D-Pad intercom.

Ceasing his victorious laughter, Shingo was puzzled by what the voice commanded him to do. "Huh?"

 **"Set them. I, using the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician..."**

Following the voice's commands through both motion and repeated words, Shingo stated, "I-I, using the Scale 1 Stargazer Magician..."

 **"And the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician-!"**

"A-And the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician-!"

 **"Set the Pendulum Scale!"**

"Set the Pendulum Scale!"

Upon placing the two Pendulum cards on the end sides of his duel disk, the rainbow-colored words, " **PENDULUM,"** coursed throughout the blade of the duel disk as the same Pendulum Summoning procedure revealed itself. Two pillars of light emerged along with both Stargazer and Timegazer Magician, only this time, a pendulum didn't sway back and forth like with Yuya's Pendulum Summoning.

Stargazer Magician - Scale 1 - Pendulum Zone

Timegazer Magician - Scale 8 - Pendulum Zone

"Pendulum Summon!" yelled Shingo. "Here it comes! Level 5: Power Dart Striker! Level 6: Rocket Dart Striker! And Level 7: Ultimate Darts Striker!"

Power Darts Striker - (EARTH/Machine) - LV5 - (1800/700)

Rocket Dart Striker - (EARTH/Machine) LV6 - (1900/100)

Ultimate Darts Striker - (EARTH/Machine) - LV7 - (2400/300)

Fascinated with the results of his successful, first Pendulum Summoning, Shingo couldn't help but be awed at his natural talent and the fact that three, powerful Monsters were on his side, and he didn't even need to do a Special or Tribute Summoning. "This. Is. The. BEST! I can't believe Pendulum Summoning could be so amazing!"

"How...How can he Pendulum Summon?" wondered Tatsuya.

"Yeah! Only Yuya-niichan has that power!" said Ayu.

 _'Oh, great! He can Pendulum Summon! Terrific,'_ thought Mitsumi, more annoyed than worried about her predicament.

Still overcome with excitement and joy, Shingo declared, "Now, no one can stop me now! Now that I can Pendulum Summon, I have no more use of you or even Yuya Sakaki! Time to finish this! I attack Gishki Abyss with Power Darts Striker!"

Realizing it was the Battle Phase, Mitsumi glanced around to see if there were any Actions Cards before spotting one floating on top of the water not too far from her current location. She was just about to order Gishki Abyss to swim over so she could snatch it but changed her mind. For all she knew, it could just be a trap! But...

"Abyss! Swim underwater!" ordered Mitsumi before taking in a large amount of air. Perhaps there were some hidden Action Cards located deep underwater?

Upon hearing the command, Gishki Abyss dove down and began swimming around in different directions as Mitsumi scanned around, trying to find a hidden Action Card somewhere underwater, only to come up with nothing in the limited time she had.

Power Darts Striker's homing missiles fired underwater, following both Mitsumi and her Monster everywhere they want; slowly gaining speed with each passing second until at finally, they caught up to them and destroyed their designated target; Gishki Abyss. The blast from the homing missiles shot Mitsumi out from underwater and slammed her into a bridge support harshly.

 **Mitsumi - 2900 LP**

 **Shingo - 4000 LP**

Shingo laughed at the disgraceful, panting mess of an opponent he was facing as she was still trying to recover from breathing too long underwater and being attacked. "Nice darts, me! Unfortunately for you, I've still got some more Pendulum Summoned Monsters eager to wipe you out! Rocket Darts Striker, attack her directly!"

After the female shooter of the Darts Striker trio fired her own volley of missiles, Mitsumi retaliated swiftly. "Trap activate! Aquamirror Illusion! Now, I get to Special Summon a Gishki Ritual Monster from my hand! Come, Gishki Zielgigas!"

One of Mitsumi's most powerful Monsters; Gishki Zielgigas appeared as a monstrous, four-armed WATER Attribute entity that was an underwater creature and not a Monster one could deal with so easily.

Gishki Zielgigas - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV10 - (3200/0)

Shingo's eyes widened at the unexpected predicament he was forced to face as well as the consequences of his actions. "Oh, shi-!"

Gishki Zielgigas took the blunt, explosive force of the missiles, though no damage was harmed to his body as he proved much more durable. He then slashed one of his four arms at the water, creating a water slash that bisected Rocket Darts Striker, destroying her since she made the first move.

 **Mitsumi - 2900 LP**

 **Shingo - 2700 LP**

Shingo shielded himself from the explosive coming from his Monster's destruction, gritting his teeth. "Damn! She got one over me! She got lucky this time!" Despite his frustration, Shingo wasn't stupid to pin his most strongest Monster up against Mitsumi's slightly stronger Monster. "I end my turn!"

Relaxing her shoulders as she stood up, Mitsumi calmed herself and brushed off some water off her hair. "...The other effect of Aquamirror Illusion is that while I am able to Special Summon a Gishki Ritual Monster, that Monster can't attack, and he's returned to my hand at the End Phase." With that said, Mitsumi reached out her arm and opened her palm as Zielgigas turned into an orb of light that zoomed back into her hand, quickly reverting back to its card form.

Despite the loss of one Monster, Shingo was relieved to learn that Zielgigas wouldn't be a threat to him anymore. "You've got some life left, but under these circumstances, I wonder if you'll still continue?"

Pressing her back against the wall, Mitsumi was able to breathe easier as she drew her card. "Of course!" _'Ugh! My head hurts! I really hate headaches!'_

"Oh really?" questioned Shingo cockily, not believing her words. "And how are you going to do that with no Monsters on the field? Your big boss Monster was just sent back, and while this is the most damage you've done to me yet, there's no way you can pull another come-"

"Hey, Sawatari-san?" called out Mitsumi sweetly, trying to ignore the throbbing headache she was painfully enduring. "I'd really appreciate it if you would let me continue my turn and quit wasting time talking, please?"

Taking offense to her sugar-coated statement, Shingo shouted," Hey! Nobody interrupts the great Shingo and his intelli-"

"NOW. Please?"

Despite Mitsumi's sweet-talk and innocent expression as she spoke politely, Shingo could sense...distain and felt fear from sensing something unusual and scary about Mitsumi. He couldn't quite put it correctly, but he had a feeling that he should probably allow Mitsumi to resume.

"Y-Yeah. Okay, fine! I was finished, anyways!"

"Thank you," said Mitsumi, glancing at her drawn card. "I activate the Equip Spell, Overdone Burial! First I have to discard 1 Monster from my hand, then I get to target a Monster in my Graveyard whose Level is lower than the discarded Monster's Level, and I get to Special Summon that Monster and equip it with this card. Additionally, that Monster's effects are negated. I send Gishki Zielgigas, a Level 10 Monster, from my hand to Special Summon Gishki Abyss in Defense Mode!"

Gishki Abyss - (WATER/Fish) - LV2 - (800/500)

"Ha! A simple Level 2 Monster? That's basically a garbage Monster you just summoned!" insulted Shingo. "Why would you trade in a very strong Monster with a weaker one? Well, at least you weren't an idiot this time and put it in Attack Mode."

"I appreciate the sentiment," said Mitsumi. "But now, I'll fortify my defense with the Continuous Spell, Gravity Bind! This means that all Level 4 or higher Monsters can no longer attack! That basically means your Monsters can no longer attack!"

Gritting his teeth, Shingo yelled, "Damnit! Doing something I didn't plan for-!"

Glancing at the two remaining cards in her hand, Mitsumi knew that her defense was guaranteed, but what if something happens? Should that be the case, she should prepare herself. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

Frustrated at this unpredicted change of events, Shingo hastily drew his card. "My turn, draw!"

While trying to figure out how to escape his current situation, Shingo received a transmission from the same voice from earlier. **"The Pendulum cards are most likely Spell cards, now."**

"Spells...?" All it took was one glance at his Pendulum cards and the card he just drew before an idea popped into his head, making him laugh confidently. "I really am chosen by the cards!"

Surprised, Mitsumi wondered, "What are you talking about, Sawatari-san?"

"I activate the Spell, Cricket Close! By negating two Spells on my field, I get to negate 1 Spell you control!"

"Spells...?" Tapping on her D-Pad screen to analyze Shingo's field, she saw no Spell cards anywhere. "..What are you talking about, Sawatari-san? I don't see any Spell cards on your field."

Chuckling, Shingo explained, "Too bad! Pendulum Cards that are set can be used as Spell cards!"

 _'What?!'_ thought Mitsumi, shocked over this new revelation. _'Then again, it does kinda make sense. We have no idea what sort of new abilities these Pendulum cards possess. Still, how does Sawatari know about this sort of important info?'_

"I target my two Pendulum cards, Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician, and negate their effects! I'll do that, and then target and negate your Gravity Bind!"

Suddenly bound by dartboards, both Pendulum Magicians struggled until they were forcibly reverted back into their card forms and then destroyed. Their destruction caused a crash of voltage lightning to destroy Gravity Bind, making it safe for Monsters Level 4 and higher to attack freely.

Mitsumi, although she lost a huge advantageous defensive card, wasn't worried. In fact, she was relieved when she had set those two cards facedown from earlier.

"It looks like the only defense you've got is that measly, weak little water Monster of yours," taunted Shingo. "Your Life Points are at nothing to worry about once I get rid of your only defense!"

"Not if I play my Quick-Play Spell, Draw Muscle!" shouted Mitsumi. "When there's only 1 Monster on my field with 1000 or lower Defense Points, I get to target it, then draw a card, and then reveal it! If it is a Monster, my targeted Monster gains Defense Points equal to the drawn Monster's Defense Points! However, any card other than a Monster's, and my targeted Monster gets destroyed instead!"

"Oh? Gambling on a draw? That's not usually your style, you know," stated Shingo.

"You're really one to talk," murmured Mitsumi.

"Ha? Did you say something?"

"Nope, never mind! I draw!" After seeing her drawn card to be a Monster card, Mitsumi nodded and revealed the drawn card to Shingo. "I drew Gishki Reliever, so his 800 Defense Points are going into Gishki Abyss' Defense Points!"

Gishki Abyss - (WATER/Fish) - LV2 - (800/1300)

"That's still not enough to topple my two Monsters' higher Attack Points!" reminded Shingo.

Mitsumi nodded. "I know. But there's an additional effect to Draw Muscle. For the rest of this turn, Gishki Abyss, the targeted Monster I mentioned earlier, cannot be destroyed in battle."

"Awesome!" cheered Futoshi. "Now, Sawatari can't attack anymore this turn!"

"Yay! I knew Mitsumi-neechan could come up with a good plan!" cheered Tatsuya.

"We just needed to put a bit of faith in her, that's all!" assured Ayu as Yuzu gazed at the duel proudly.

Shaking with anger, Shingo muttered, "You're doing more things that I didn't originally planned for-! Damnit! I end my turn!"

"Gah! My hand! It's...slipping!" cried out Yuzu, trying to tighten her grip with the chains and Futoshi.

"Noo! Yuzu-neechan! Don't let go!" shouted Futoshi, clutching onto her hand more firmly.

"My turn, draw!" said Mitsumi. "I activate Card of Sanctity, meaning we both draw until we have 6 cards in our hand! Draw! I now activate my facedown card, Graverobber! That means I get to take back a card from your Graveyard and add it to my hand."

"Oh no!" cried out Shingo, realizing which card she planned on taking.

"I'm taking back Stargazer Magician from your Graveyard so hand him over! Er...please."

"Tch! Fine!" Abiding by the rules, Shingo threw Stargazer Magician's card accurately at Mitsumi. "But, you still don't have the other Pendulum card, and when I win, I'm taking all of the Pendulum cards for myself!"

"But my turn's not done, because I activate the Spell, Monster Reborn to Special Summon any one Monster from either of our Graveyards! I Special Summon Timegazer Magician!"

Timegazer Magician - (DARK/Spellcaster/Pendulum) - LV3 - (1200/600)

"...DAMNIT!" yelled Shingo. "Oh, wait! Ha! You can't Pendulum Summon because both Pendulum cards have to be set in the Pendulum Scales!"

"I know, but that doesn't matter right now," said Mitsumi, offering her arm over to her newly summoned Monster, Timegazer Magician. "Timegazer Magician!"

Understanding what she desired, Timegazer Magician grabbed her hand and flew upwards, leading her along with him as they hurried towards the others trapped on top of the prison tower.

"Mitsumi-neechan came to our rescue!" cheered the children as they were happy that they were finally going to be let down from the top of the prison tower. Both Timegazer Magician and Mitsumi made two trips; one to get Futoshi and Ayu down, and the other to grab Yuzu and Tatsuya since they could only spare two free arms. Once all was done, the group of friends were reunited and safely on the ground.

"Thank you so much, Mitsum-neechan!" spoke all three children, happy they were safe and sound.

Placing a hand on Mitsumi's shoulder, Yuzu nodded. "Yeah, I don't know what would have happened if we had stayed up there longer!"

"I'm glad you're all safe, too. But now, back to the duel! I summon Gishki Reliever!" said Mitsumi.

Gishki Reliever - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (500/800)

"That weakling you drew earlier? Please, he can't-"

"Sawatari-san, do you want to win or not?" questioned Mitsumi, growing mildly annoyed by his constant interruptions.

"Hah? Of course I do! But, don't mind me, continue!"

"Okay...When Gishki Reliever is Normal Summoned, I get target 1 other Monster I control and then return that target to my hand! But, in order to activate this effect, I must control another Gishki Monster, which happens to be Gishki Abyss! Timegazer Magician now returns to my hand!"

Shocked at how Mitsumi managed to reclaim the Pendulum cards so quickly, Shingo was left baffled before shouting, "You planned for all of this to happen?!"

"How...How could I when I clearly had no idea that Pendulum cards could be used as Spells?" stated Mitsumi. "This was just pure luck."

"Luck?! How could you take back the Pendulum cards so easily?!"

"...I mean, if you want an explanation of the cards I used just a few minutes ago-"

"NO, I DON'T WANT AN LONG-ASS EXPLANATION OF THAT!"

"Mitsumi-chan! Ignore that asshole and start your comeback! You can do it!" cheered Yuzu. "Pendulum! Pendulum!"

"Pendulum! Pendulum!" Even the children were chanting nonstop for Mitsumi's own finale version involving her very own Pendulum Summoning.

Mitsumi giggled. "Okay, okay! Everyone, stand back! Before I perform a Pendulum Summon, I have to prep a few things! First, I discard Gishki Vision to activate his effect, which will allow me to add a Gishki Ritual Monster from my deck to my hand! I also discard Gishki Vision to add a Gishki Ritual Monster from my deck to my hand! Then, I activate the Spell, Salvage! I target 2 WATER Monster in my Graveyard with 1500 or less Attack Points and add them to my hand! I return both Gishki Shadow and Vision to my hand!"

"Is she going to bring out more Ritual cards?" wondered Tatsuya, intrigued.

"I discard Gishki Shadow again to add the same Gishki Ritual Spell, and now the preparations are set! Ladies and gentlemen!" announced Mitsumi as all of the lights in the Solid Vision city went out and focused the spotlight only on her. "Today's a one-time show only, and with our beginning performers are Timegazer and Stargazer Magician! Everyone, you know what to chant, right?"

"Of course!" called out Yuzu, Ayu, Futoshi, and Tatsuya, who had moved to a much more safer area with more space to witness the finale performance.

"I, using Scale 1 Stargazer Magician, and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, set the Pendulum Scale!"

Slamming the two Pendulum cards on the sides of her blue D-Pad, the rainbow-colored words, "PENDULUM SUMMON," popped out, with Stargazer and Timegazer Magician appearing in the same pillar of lights. Only, this time, they accepted being on a much better environment as well as having a kinder, temporary owner for the time being.

Stargazer Magician - Scale 1 - Pendulum Zone

Timegazer Magician - Scale 8 - Pendulum Zone

"I should be able to summon multiple Monsters between Levels 2 through 7! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, Gishki Marker!"

A ray of light shot down from the heavens and down at the water, in which the Pendulum Summoned Monster was pulled into. The spotlight no longer focused on Mitsumi and concentrated on playfully finding Gishki Marker. Suddenly, a loud splash of water caused the spotlight to immediately shine down where the noise came from, and out spotted an octopus-like warrior carrying a spear.

Gishki Marker - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (1600/1200)

"...Not impressed!" called out Shingo. "I already Pendulum Summoned 3 Monsters! That Pendulum Summon was lame!"

"That, was but an appetizer to the real show!" replied Mitsumi. "Gishki Marker's effect activates! When he's summoned, I get to target and add a Gishki Ritual card or Monster from my Graveyard to my hand! I choose Gishki Mollusk! And you know what comes next?"

Immediately, Yuzu and the other spectators chanted loudly, "RITUAL SUMMON! RITUAL SUMMON!"

"And so fortunate we're surrounded by so much water! It'll be a perfect water show!" praised Mitsumi, bowing her head out of courtesy. "I, using the Ritual Spell, Gishki Aquamirror, will now perform a Ritual Summoning to Ritual Summon Evigishki Soul Ogre! Because Gishki Shadow's effect allows him to be the full requirement for a Gishki Ritual Summoning, I sacrifice him to Ritual Summon Evigishki Soul Ogre!"

Gishki Shadow suddenly appeared on the field, trapped in a sphere-like bubble before being lowered down underwater with several water-like flames submerging with him along with a magic circle. Everything faded until an evolved version of Gishki Shadow, AKA Evigishki Soul Ogre, popped out from the water, roaring triumphantly.

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (2800/2800)

"We're not through yet! I activate Gishki Aquamirror's effect from the Graveyard! I can shuffle it back from the Graveyard and into the deck to target and add 1 Gishki Ritual Monster from the Graveyard to my hand! I add Gishki Zielgigas to my hand! I activate another Gishki Aquamirror from my hand and sacrifice the Gishki Avance from my hand, Gishki Reliever, and Gishki Marker in order to Ritual Summon Gishki Zielgigas!"

Once more, a water-based magic circles surrounded the entirety of the water canal before Gishki Zielgigas dove upwards and landed right besides Evigishki Soul Ogre; both ready to take on their opponents.

Gishki Zielgigas - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV10 - (3200/0)

"Wow! They look really strong!" cried out Futoshi."It's just giving me the shivers just looking at them!"

"And now, everyone! The moment you've all been waiting for!" called out Mitsumi. "I activate Gishki Zielgigas' effect! By sacrificing 1000 Life Points, I get to draw a card, and if it's a Gishki Monster, I get to shuffle 1 card from the field back into the deck!"

 **Mitsumi - 1900 LP**

 **Shingo - 2700 LP**

"Draw!" Turning her drawn card over, Mitsumi revealed it to be Gishki Ariel. "And since my card is a Gishki Monster, you know the rules! I choose Ultimate Darts Striker to be shuffled back into the deck!"

Once Ultimate Darts Striker was forced back into Shingo's deck, the owner began to panic. With Mitsumi's Ritual Monsters, she could easily bypass the only line of defense he had left and finish him off!

"I attack with Evigishki Soul Ogre!" commanded Mitsumi , climbing on top of her Gishki Zielgigas in the same manner Yuya usually rides his Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

Rushing past the swift waters, Evigishki Soul Ogre wasted no time in hacking and slicing up Power Darts Striker, resulting in an explosion on Shingo's end.

 **Mitsumi - 1900 LP**

 **Shingo - 1700 LP**

"Time for the grand finale!" Mitsumi cried out. "Gishki Zielgigas! Attack Sawatari directly!"

As though preparing to breath fire, Gishki Zielgigas absorbed loads of water surrounding him in the form of a spiral water geyser emitting from his mouth that engulfed Shingo entirely and sent him flying before crashing back down on the earth. The water geyser exploded into countless sparkling raindrops floating softly and appearing nearly identical to water-like fireworks.

 **Mitsumi - 1900 LP**

 **Shingo - 0 LP**

 **Winner: Mitsumi**

"Hurray! She did it!" cheered Yuzu and the others as the field vanished, making everyone return to the LDS Center Court.

Assisted by his friends to stand up, a battered Shingo glared at Mitsumi as she was surrounded by her own group of friends. "Grrr…! If I can't win them properly through a duel, I'll have to use force! Guys, surround them!"

Mitsumi's celebration with her friends didn't last long, as Shingo and his friends surrounded them with no means of escape. Smirking, Shingo thought that he had the upper hand and held out his hand over to Mitsumi, obviously demanding for the Pendulum cards.

Checking her deck to make sure she successfully retrieved the Pendulum cards back from Shingo during their duel, Mitsumi was relieved to know she managed to do so. However, there was only one more threat to take care of.

Glancing behind her, Mitsumi confirmed that Yuzu was keeping the children close to her, safe and sound while wielding her paper fan just in case. She walked towards Shingo, and just before he could snatch the cards away from her like last time, Mitsumi's leg shot out more quickly and hit right between his legs as hard as she could.

Not expecting this course of action, Shingo's eyes widen and he coughed harshly, falling to his knees before falling over, crying out in pain as he tried to lessen the pain from his genitals. Turning around, Mitsumi snatched the paper fan from Yuzu's hands and slapped all three of Shingo's other friends with it, delivering hard enough damage to send them to the ground.

"Everyone, run for it!" shouted Mitsumi, pointing towards the exit. Wasting no time, Mitsumi and her friends rushed to the exit in time just as Shingo and his friends were recovering from their knock down. _'Man, if I was gonna beat them up anyways, I should have done so from the start!'_

* * *

 _Meanwhile..._

Having witnessed both the duel and the aftermath, Nakajima slammed his fists against the keyboard and demanded, "Apprehend them! We cannot let the Pendulum cards go!"

"No," spoke Reiji, pushing up his glasses. "That's enough. Let them go. I'm satisfied with what I saw."

"But...Very well, President."

Watching Mitsumi's retreating figure, Reiji's interest not only reigned in just Yuya anymore, but also extended to the young individual known as Mitsumi. _'I can tell...she was definitely holding back a lot of her ability back on that duel. I wonder if there's more to her than I would expect.'_

* * *

 _Later, at Yuya's house..._

"...And I am so, so sorry!" apologized Mitsumi, bowing her head over and over to Yuya. After arriving at Yuya's home and returning his Pendulum cards, Mitsumi and the others described the events that transpired with Shingo and had just finished their story.

"...Well, it's alright," assured Yuya. "It's not your fault, Mitsumi. I think, if I was in your situation, I would have done the same. Still, be more careful next time, okay?"

"Yes. I'm really, really sorry this happened," Mitsumi apologized once more.

"Hey, it didn't all go in vain. At least you won! Plus, you even discovered something about the Pendulum cards that I would have never figured out. Dunno how Sawatari did, though."

"AND, Mitsumi-chan kick total butt after the duel!" bragged Yuzu. "I mean, she beat up Sawatari and his goons!"

Yuya blinked in surprise. "R-Really?! What did she do?"

"I-It was nothing!" stammered Mitsumi, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to hurt them that badly!"

"Nothing? You totally showed me a badass side I never seen before!" Turning to Yuya, she explained, "We were surrounded, and Sawatari was going to take the cards from Mitsumi-chan forcibly! But then, just when it looks like she was going to, she suddenly kicked Sawatari right in his jewels, and then she grabbed my paper fan and beat up his other three lackeys! It was so quick and awesome!"

Yuya's eyes went wide with surprise. "Oh, wow! She did that? Ow...I feel kinda bad for Sawatari. Those jewels are a man's precious things."

Yuzu shrugged. "Eh, who cares? The jerk deserved it!"

"Yeah! Mitsumi-neechan was awesome!" cheered Futoshi.

"How she handled the situation was unlike anything I've ever seen!" commented Tatsuya.

"I wanna be like Mitsumi-neechan when I grow up!" said Ayu.

Normally, Mitsumi would feel embarrassed from being complimented so much, but not in this case when she unintentionally made the children think violence was a good thing. "N-No! Violence is not good! You shouldn't aspire to be like me! Yuzu-chan! Don't encourage violence!"

"I mean...Okay, what you did was pretty bad-ass, but I wasn't trying to encourage them or anything!"

"I dunno," said Yuya. "I mean, it did kinda sound like you were."

Yuzu glared at the tomato-haired teen, placing her hands on her hips. "Do you want me to whip the paper fan on you?"

"Aah! Yuzu...would you like harm a sick, frail, and innocent boy like myself..?" whimpered Yuya, attempting to guilt her with his puppy dog eyes.

Yuzu's eye twitched, knowing that although Yuya was nearly better, he was just trying to guilt trip her so that he wouldn't feel the stinging wrath of her paper fan. Again. "You're not innocent..."

"Yuzu, if you do hit him, you do realize that you would be encouraging violence," pointed out Mitsumi, addressing to the three young kids as witnesses in the room.

Seeing where Mitsumi was going with this, Yuya joined in. "Yeah! You wanna be a good role model? Don't encourage violence! ...By that, I mean, do not hit me."

Now, Yuzu really, really, REALLY wanted to hit something, but held enough restraint because she knew that violence was no good and that she was the one who brought up the whole violence issue when she mentioned about Mitsumi's ultraviolence back with Shingo and his friends. Instead she calmed down and merely glared at both Yuya and Mitsumi for ruining her fun.

"...So, Mitsumi? This is probably the first time you've beaten Sawatari!" said Yuya. "Congrats! I knew someday you were going to one-up him!"

"Eh...it was nothing. Just pure luck," assured Mitsumi, rubbing the back of her head. "...Although, I had to try harder than usual."

"What?"

"I was just muttering what sort of dessert I should make for you next time! Yeah!"

Yuya's expression brightened at the thought of tasting yet another one of Mitsumi's desserts. "Ooh! I know! I want some gingerbread cookies! No wait, brownies! Ooh! How about some tarts?"

"How about none, because you're grounded for a month," spoke Yoko, stepping into Yuya's room.

"What?!" exclaimed Yuya. "But, you said I was grounded for a week!"

"I thought harder on the circumstances and decided that a month should suffice! Look kiddo, you can duel at the You Show Duel school, but other than Shuzo's dueling assignments, you cannot duel anyone else! Also, you're not allowed dessert for a month. Serves you right for staying up late and dueling almost 300 times!"

"Nooooooo!" cried out Yuya. "But Mitsumi-chan's desserts are the best! Er...not to say that your cooking sucks, Mom!"

"I know that her desserts are good, but that doesn't excuse you from you getting sick from your actions! No dessert or free dueling for a month!"

Yuya turned to Mitsumi, who sweatdropped at his terrible attempt of the puppy dog eyes trick. "...I'm sorry, Yuya, but I have to agree with your mother."

"Noooo…."

Glancing at her watch, Mitsumi said, "I have to leave. I have to prepare for some dinner. I'll see you at school soon, Yuya."

"...'kay..." groaned Yuya, resorting to stuffing his entire face into his pillow out of misery.

"Bye-bye, Yuya-niichan!"

"I hope you get better!"

"Take care, Yuya-niichan!"

One by one, the children and soon, Yuzu, left Yuya's home as he was on the path of recovering from his sickness. Once he was left alone to rest, he glanced at his Pendulum cards, wondering what other mysterious powers they possess.

* * *

 **Skit: Apology Gift**

"..."

"..." _'Well, this is awkward.'_

Standing in front of Mitsumi were Shingo's three friends, Ootomo, Kakimoto, and Yamabe. Mitsumi had been meaning to find them somewhere in school to hand them a basket of freshly baked muffins she cooked up last night as an apology gift for her actions. The three were not too pleased to see her, considering she had hit both them and their leader pretty hard.

"H-Here!" Mitsumi handed the basket over to the trio and bowed her head. "I'm sorry for hurting you three and Sawatari-san yesterday. I didn't mean to go that far. Please take this as a token of my apology. Hopefully, you can share it with Sawatari-san."

Although still skeptical towards Mitsumi, they have heard how delicious her desserts were and how she usually shares them with her close friends, so they took the basket from her. "...Thanks," said Ootomo.

"...We do feel bad, though," admitted Yamabe.

"What?" Looking up, Mitsumi could only express her confusion.

"Look, we respect and follow Sawatari, but we don't always agree with his decisions. Putting your friends at risk at that duel was...pretty reckless."

"In a way, I guess we kinda did deserve what we got from you," said Kakimoto. "But we're still on Sawatari's side! Don't forget that!"

Mitsumi nodded. "I know. Thank you for understanding, and I do appreciate your honesty. Please tell Sawatari-san I'm sorry as well."

"Sweet milk apple-berry pie with honey."

"Huh?"

"That's Sawatari's favorite dessert. He loves that sort of stuff, so if you make something for him again, he might appreciate your own version of that dessert."

"Alright. Thank you for telling me!"

* * *

 **Finished! Finally! Oh, and if you were wondering, "Where's the original duel with Yuya and Shingo and what about Sora?" The answers will remain in the next chapter! For now, just enjoy this one!~**

 **Read and review, and if you have any ideas for this story, feel free to tell me!**


	8. Cloudy Chances

**Glad I'm seeing more and more people love this story and give it some attention! Now, here we go!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

After Yuya recovered from his illness, he returned back to school where he was challenged by Shingo, only unlike in Mitsumi's previous situation, the duel was fair and square; no cheating and especially no endangerment. Once the duel was over and Yuya finished things off with a spectacular Pendulum Summon along with the knowledge of the Pendulum cards being used as Spells, Shingo was dismayed that he lost, but he did left with an inspiring expression on his face, though he did swear revenge.

One unfortunate little side-effect to the conclusion of the duel was that Yuya obtained a new admirer, Sora Shiunin, who was determined to make Yuya his teacher in Pendulum Summoning. He followed Yuya everywhere, from school, the bathroom, and even all the way to You Show Duel School.

Fed up, Yuya finally decided to duel Sora, and upon learning something new from his Pendulum cards, which was that they wouldn't go to the Graveyard once destroyed, only to the Extra Deck, he won against Sora and his Furnimal Fusion-themed deck. He had to admit, Sora's Des-Toy Fusion Monster definitely served as nightmare fuel.

Now that Sora was officially a student at You Show Duel School, he spent more time with his new friends while being taught lessons on dueling. To commemorate Sora's welcoming to join the school, Mitsumi made a batch of homemade cupcakes, but this time, she added frosting resembling familiar Duel Monster faces such as Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Dark Magician Girl, Furnimal Bear, and so on.

"Wow! These look super yummy and cute, Mitsumi-neechan!" cooed Ayu as Futoshi and Tatsuya each took one.

"Yeah! This one's...Ooh! Entermate Hip Hippo, right? So cute!~" giggled Yuzu before taking a bite out of it.

"I'll make sure Hip Hippo gets his vengeance next time we duel, Yuzu!" declared Yuya with a child-like grin on his face. "Now, lemme see which one I want...?"

"No touchy!" snapped Mitsumi, slapping Yuya's hand away.

"Ow!" cried out Yuya, pulling his hand back. "Jeez, that was really sharp! And why can't I have one? Everyone's eating one!"

"I'm not eating one," pointed out Gongenzaka, as he wasn't much for sweets.

"Fine, everyone _but_ Gongenzaka is eating one! Why can't I?"

"Yuya, did you forget that your mother grounded you and prevented you from eating sweets for a month? I'm just upholding that punishment," said Mitsumi, picking up the plate and handing it to Sora. "Here, Sora. You can take any one."

"Sweet! Thanks!" cheered Sora, picking the one resembling Furnimal Bear.

"No fair! Can't I have a little piece?" pleaded Yuya.

"Yuya, if you don't stop harassing Mitsumi-chan, then I'm going to tell your mother!" scolded Yuzu, pulling out her D-Pad. "I have her number on speed dial!"

"Awww!"

"It's alright, Yuya," assured Mitsumi, patting him on the shoulder. "Once your punishment's been lifted, I'm willing to allow you to taste my new recipe."

Yuya's expression lit up. "Really?! What is it?"

"Apple zucchini muffins!"

Yuya's expression instantly fell and he backed up into a wall. "Oh, no, no, no, no, NO! Ew! That sounds disgusting!"

"It's a vegetable dessert, something new I'm working on. It might sound gross, but I tasted one before and it was good!"

"It...might not be that bad, Yuya," defended Yuzu. "All of Mitsumi's cooking has been delicious thus far. I'm sure this won't be any different."

"Thank you, Yuzu!"

"Well...I still think the name is weird!" said Yuya. "Seriously, whoever thought it was a good idea to mix vegetables with desserts?"

"...Parents trying to force their children to eat veggies?" answered Mitsumi.

"...Okay, fair point."

"Yuya! Let's have another duel!" pleaded Sora.

"But it's only been a few days since you joined. Don't you wanna wait a bit longer to get stronger?" questioned Yuya.

"No way! I wanna learn more about Pendulum Summoning and other stuff from you!"

"Well, I'm scheduled to duel Ayu after this, but if you wanna learn more about Pendulum Summoning, then why not duel Mitsumi?"

"Eh? Why me?" wondered Mitsumi, confused. "Yuya, you're the Pendulum expert. I don't know more than you."

"Yes you do. Remember when I was sick and that Sawatari stole the Pendulum cards? You dueled him to get them back and you learned a new trick with the Pendulum cards. If anything, you're the second experienced person here."

"But...I can't Pendulum Summon if I don't have Pendulum cards," reminded Mitsumi. "That was just a one-time thing."

"Whoa! Did you actually Pendulum Summon, Mitsumi-chan?" asked Sora, awed.

"Y-Yes, but it was only one time. I only borrowed Yuya's Pendulum cards once and that was it. Sorry about allowing them to slip away that one time by the way, Yuya."

"It's cool," assured Yuya.

"Then, I definitely wanna duel you next, Mitsumi-chan!" Sora turned to Shuzo and began bouncing up and down. "Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can-"

"Okay, okay!" chuckled Shuzo, nodding as he tried to calm down the energetic blue-haired boy. "You can duel Mitsumi. That alright with you too, Mitsumi?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't mind at all."

After a few assigned duels later from their other classmates, it was both Mitsumi and Sora's turn for their duel. Sora looked happy as always while Mitsumi remained calm, rubbing her arm unconsciously as she pondered what to do.

 _'Like always, I should hold back! Maybe just tune it up a little to give him a little challenge. Yeah, that should be it,'_ she thought as the Action Field automatically changed their normal surroundings.

The Action Field chosen was called Cloud Kingdom, as just like its name, it was an entire kingdom completely made out of fluffy, pure white snow clouds. A large castle made of clouds laid around in the background as Mitsumi and Sora stood in the streets of the cloud kingdom.

"Ahaha! It's so soft and fluffy!" laughed Sora, bouncing up and down on a cloud bench before allowing himself to land onto it on his back. "Ahahaha! I can stay like this all day!"

Testing out the softness, Mitsumi squeezed a street lamp made of the same material as the entire environment before tapping the ground with her shoe, not making even a dent in the cloudy grounds. She decided to sit down on a nearby chair, only to yelp in surprise when she found the cloud-like chair started hovering and then moving on its own.

"Whoa! How are you doing that?" asked Sora, awed. "I want a flying cloud, too!"

"I-I'm not doing this!" cried out Mitsumi, hanging on for dear life. At last, the cloud stopped, causing Mitsumi to be in mid-air and staring down at Sora.

"Alright! Let's begin the duel!" announced Shuzo. "Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking off against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!" chanted Tatsuya, Ayu, and Futoshi.

"Aaaah! Hang on! Hang on! I'm still in mid-air!" called out Mitsumi, waving her arms. "Aaaaahhh...Darn. Yeah, they're not listening."

"They storm through the field!" shouted Yuzu, Yuya, and Gongenzaka.

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling!" cheered Sora, throwing a fist pump.

Mitsumi sighed before yelling in unison with Sora the next line to initiate the duel. "Action Duel!"

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Sora - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"Yay! Okay, I draw!" said Sora excitedly, bouncing all around the field with assistance from the fluffy cloud objects. "I activate the Continuous Spell, Toy Vendor! Now, once per turn, I can discard a card, draw a new one, and then reveal it! If it's a Level 4 or lower Monster, I get to Special Summon it, but if it's not, I have to discard it!"

"Ah! That's the same Spell he used on me in our last duel!" pointed out Yuya. "Mitsumi better be careful!"

The Toy Vendor Spell activated at the same time Sora discarded one of his cards to draw a new one from his deck. The disappointed look on his face indicated that he didn't get what he wished for. "Awww!" Sora whined, revealing a Trap card that he drew before discarding it. "Well, you got lucky this time, Mitsumi-chan! I get I'll just have to summon Furnimal Dog to the field!"

Furnimal Dog - (EARTH/Fairy) - LV4 - (1700/1000)

"Awwww! It's so cute!~" squealed Yuzu and Ayu. "Look how he's wagging his tail and how his tongue is sticking out like that! EEEEEEEKKKK!"

"Jeez, they're loud!" complained Yuya. "But, I have to admit, it does look kinda cute."

"Furnimal Dog's effect activates! If he's Normal or Special Summoned, I can add an Edge Imp Sabres or a Furnimal Monster from my deck to my hand! I'll just add Edge Imp Sabres from my deck to my hand!"

 _'Last time he summoned that Edge Imp Sabres, he used it to Fusion Summon into the Des-Toy Monster, so I should be careful,'_ Mitsumi thought.

"Hmm...I can't attack on the first turn, so instead, I'll just place a card facedown and end my turn!~"

"Okay, my turn!" said Mitsumi. "I set a Monster facedown and...that's it for me-WHOA!" Suddenly, the cloud she was sitting on began moving once more, prompting Sora to follow after her.

"Hey, wait up!" called out Sora.

"Believe me, if I could, I would stop, but I can't!" called out Mitsumi, gripping onto the cloud. She managed to successfully snatch an Action Card floating about in the air, though, so that was one good thing for her.

"Okay, my turn again!" decided Sora after seeing the cloud stop in mid-air once more. "I activate Toy Vendor and discard this little card to draw another one! Awww! The one card I needed, but need to discard! My luck's really bad today!" Sora revealed the Polymerization card he just drew before discarding it to the Graveyard.

"Don't worry, Sora," assured Mitsumi. "I'm sure your luck will come around soon."

"Yeah, you're right!" agreed Sora. "Thanks! Hmm...what to do...Ah! I guess I'll just have to attack! I'm sure my cutie little Furnimal Dog can destroy your set Monster!"

"Um...I don't think you should assume that, Sora-"

"Go, Furnimal Dog! Use Tackle on her Monster!"

Furnimal Dog barked, causing Ayu and Yuzu to squeal loudly once more, before pouncing onto Mitsumi's set Monster, only to be thrown back by some invisible force, cringing in pain as he covered his head with his soft paws.

"Eh?! What happened?!" exclaimed Sora worriedly.

The answer quickly came when Mitsumi's set Monster was flipped over, revealing to be Gishki Ariel with much higher Defense Points than Furnimal Dog's Attack Points.

Gishki Ariel - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

 **Sora - 3900 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"Oh! Just a few more Points higher, and my cute Furnimal Dog would have destroyed your Monster!" whined Sora.

"Aha...Sorry, Sora," apologized Mitsumi. "Anyways, Gishki Ariel's effect activates! I can add a Gishki Monster from my deck to my hand! I choose Gishki Psychelone!"

"Aww! I guess I set a card facedown and that's it for me!"

"I draw!" said Mitsumi. "Okay, now I play the Ritual Spell, Gishki Photomirror! I sacrifice my Gishki Ariel to Ritual Summon Gishki Psychelone! However, an additional condition for my Spell is that I must pay Life Points equal to the Level of the Ritual Monster x 500!"

"What? That's such an awful requirement!" complained Sora.

"Believe me, I know," grumbled Mitsumi.

"What?"

"Nothing! Come forth, Gishki Psychelone!"

With Gishki Ariel disappearing, a feminine reptilian-like sea Monster popped out from the clouds and appeared fierce and scary as always.

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (2150/1650)

Mitsumi felt the aftereffects of the Ritual Spell as she grunted in pain when electricity filled her body to take a toll on her Life Points. It couldn't be helped as that was the condition for her Ritual Monster Summoning.

 **Sora - 3900 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 2000 LP**

"Yikes, you took a huge load of Life Points there. You alright?" asked Sora, worried.

Mitsumi nodded as the cloud she was sitting on floated near the cloud castle, prompting her to step out and into the walls of the cloud castle. "Can you hear me, Sora?"

"Yeah, I can!"

"Okay! Now, I attack your Furnimal Dog with Gishki Psychelone!"

"Oh, no!" cried out Sora, running around the castle grounds in hopes of finding an Action Card for himself. Unfortunately, his Furnimal Dog was taken out right as he saw one, but he did manage to find and snatch one right after the destruction of his Monster.

 **Sora - 3450 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 2000 LP**

"Are you okay, Sora?" asked Mitsumi.

"Aww, don't worry about it!" said Sora, grinning as he held up an Action Card. "Besides, now I can do this! I activate my Trap card, Furnimal Crane! Now, when a Furnimal Monster is destroyed by my opponent's attack or card effect and sent to the Graveyard, I can target that Monster, add it to my hand, and then draw a card! Yay me! I get back my cute Furnimal Dog!"

"Okay, then I activate my Gishki Psychelone's ability!" said Mitsumi. "By declaring 1 Monster Type and Attribute, I can look at 1 random card in your hand, and if I'm right, it's shuffled back into the deck!"

"Go ahead and guess!" challenged Sora, waving his hand full of cards. "There's no way that you can-"

"Fiend-Type and DARK Attribute, card on the farthest left."

"...Eh?" Sora glanced down and slowly took out the chosen card, flipping it over to reveal Edge Imp Sabres. "How?!"

"Uh...Lucky guess? Oh, and I end my turn!" Mitsumi then thought, _'Damnit, my observation skills have gotten the best of me again! I'm making myself look suspicious! Okay, time to lie low and hold back for now.'_

Frowning, Sora placed Edge Imp Sabres back into his deck, in which his D-Pad began to automatically shuffle. "I draw! Ooh! I activate the Spell, Des-Toy Patchwork! I can add an Edge Imp Monster and a Polymerization from my deck to my hand! Which means not only do I get to return Edge Imp Sabres to my hand, but a Polymerization, too!"

"Oh, man! And Mitsumi worked so hard to sent that nightmare fuel Monster back to his deck!" complained Sora.

Yuzu stared at Yuya. "...Nightmare fuel?"

"You know what that means, right? It's time for some Fusion! Since you showed me some awesome Ritual Summoning, it's only fair I show you some Fusion Summoning in return!~" said Sora. "I activate Polymerization and fuse both Edge Imp Sabres with Furnimal Dog to create a catastrophic disaster! Fusion Summon! I Summon Des-Toy Wolf!"

Des-Toy Wolf appeared just as corrupted and broken like Sora's other Fusion Monster, only more in the form of a broken wolf with sharp blades stretching out of its torso.

Des-Toy Wolf - (DARK/Fiend/Fusion) - LV6 - (2000/1500)

"Eep! Now more nightmare fuel to worry about!" complained Yuya, hiding behind Gongenzaka.

"Despite its...looks, Mitsumi's Monster is still stronger," pointed out Gongenzaka.

"Oh, and I'll boost up my Des-Toy Wolf with the Action Card I received earlier!" chirped Sora. "Action Spell: Altitude Increase! Now my Monster increases his Attack Points by 1000!"

Des-Toy Wolf - (DARK/Fiend/Fusion) - LV6 - (3000/1500)

"Now, go! Destroy her Monster!"

Des-Toy Wolf released a mechanical roar of ignition before leaping up and slicing Gishki Psychelone in half with his scissor blades. Mitsumi hid behind the castle walls to shield herself from the explosions as Sora jumped onto the head of his Des-Toy Wolf.

 **Sora - 3450 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3150 LP**

"Ooh! What's this?" Sora fished his hand into the clouds and pulled out another Action Card. "Another one! Cloud Crush! Now my Monster's Attack Points increase by 300!"

Des-Toy Wolf - (DARK/Fiend/Fusion) - LV6 - (3300/1500) 

"What good will that do? Your Monster already attacked, he can't do anymore this turn," pointed out Mitsumi.

"Normally, you'd be right, but Des-Toy Wolf has a special ability of his own! He can attack a number of times each Battle Phase up to the number of Fusion Materials used for his Fusion Summon!"

"Sora summoned that Monster using 2 Monsters!" cried out Yuzu.

"That means that Sora will be able to attack again!" said Tatsuya.

"And it'll be a direct attack this time! Mitsumi-neechan will lose!" said Ayu.

"Des-Toy Wolf! Finish her off!" ordered Sora, pointing to her.

Mitsumi grunted and glanced at the Action Card she snagged earlier. Granted, it was a card that would get her out of this bind, but because she was holding back, she decided not to do it and took the direct attack instead. She cried out as she fell from the castle walls and landed softly on the cloudy grounds.

 **Sora - 3450 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 0 LP**

 **Winner: Sora**

"Here ya go, Mitsumi-chan!~" said Sora, offering his hand to Mitsumi, who took it.

"Thank you," said Mitsumi as the Action Field dissipated. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite that good at dueling like Yuya and the others."

"Hmm...I have to admit, I was a little disappointed," said Sora, crossing his arms. "I thought you would put up more of a challenge like Yuya, but I guess not. Still, I know you did your best! Come on, let's go back to the others, okay? Maybe eating one of your delicious cupcakes will cheer you up!"

Mitsumi smiled and nodded. "Okay, let's go."

As the two headed back to the others, Sora bit down on his lollipop irritably, making a huge crack. _'Did her best, my ass! I can tell when someone's holding back! That entire duel, I can tell she could formulate a bunch of strategies! Is she playing me or something? No, stay calm, Sora. You have a mission to do. But, just why would she hold back? Is it because I'm a kid? Or...is there something more?'_

* * *

 **Yeah, admittedly, it might not be that much of an interesting chapter, but hey, it's an update and showing you more about Mitsumi! Don't worry, in the future, Mitsumi won't be doing these sort of holding back-type of duels!**

 **Read and review!**


	9. Mr Mystery

**Now here is where the story gets a lot more interesting with the story continuing the plot! It'll still follow the events of Episode 7 of Arc V, though.**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"Ah! This feels great!" sighed Yuya, splashing water all over his sweaty face. He, along with Sora, Tatsuya, and Futoshi had just finished a tag team duel with just the four of them and were washing their faces to cool themselves down.

"Gives me the shivers!~" cooed Futoshi, who was standing next to Yuya and washing his own face.

"After sweating it out in a duel, you've gotta do this right!" said Sora, drying his face with a towel alongside Tatsuya.

"Ah! Yuya, you've got some dirt on the back of your neck," pointed out Yuzu, who was holding more towels for her friends. "Be sure to wash it properly!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"You only need to say it once!"

After they all freshened up, they headed towards another room to relax and happen to witness Mitsumi helping a confused-looking Ayu with her dueling cards spread across the table. Before anyone could greet them, Sora placed a finger up on his lips, hushing them as he wanted to hear what they were saying. He was a bit interested in Mitsumi, especially since he knew that she was holding back in their last duel together, so he wanted to know a little bit more about her. Confused, the others silently agreed and watched from a distance.

"Ewww! But the frogs look kinda ugly!" complained Ayu. "I don't get why I should put them in my deck!"

"It's not their appearance that's important," spoke Mitsumi kindly, moving a few Frog cards towards Ayu. "In a duel, a Monster's appearance shouldn't matter. Well, in terms of Action Duels, I guess it does kinda matter since you're moving around, but their appearance isn't the important part. It's their Level, Attack and Defense Points, effects, and what type of Monster they are. They're key elements to winning a duel."

"Hmm...I still don't get it. I don't want the other kids to tease me for having such ugly-looking Monsters!"

"Then, think of it like this," said Mitsumi. "You know about the story of the Frog Prince, right? If the princess kisses the frog, then he turns into a handsome prince, and they live happily ever after!"

"But...does that mean I have to kiss my Duel Monster, then?" wondered Ayu, disgusted.

Mitsumi shook her head. "The lesson of that story is that you can't judge anyone by appearances. Ayu, you know me, right? Am I a nice person? Would you like to be friends with me?"

"Of course! We're already friends!"

"Then, what if I was a bad person? Despite my looks, would you want to be friends with a bad person like me?"

"N-No..." It seemed that Ayu was starting to understand what Mitsumi meant.

"And that's exactly my point. Just like you can't judge others by appearance, you also can't judge these Frog cards by their appearance," said Mitsumi, picking up Dupe Frog. "Look, Dupe Frog doesn't have much Attack Points, but you can definitely play him in Defense Mode. His Defense will make it difficult for your opponent's Monsters to destroy him."

"Yeah, you're right!' said Ayu, taking Dupe Frog.

"Unifrog is pretty cute in my own opinion," said Mitsumi, holding up the card. "It's like...a combination of a unicorn and a frog together. Doesn't have much Attack or Defense Points, but his effect allows you to deliver a direct attack to your opponent. Plus, if you're in a tight bind because of an opponent's Spell or Trap card, you can use his other effect to destroy it, but only if there's another Frog Monster with you."

"Wow! Sounds really strong!" exclaimed Ayu. "You're right, Mitsumi -neechan! These are really useful! Thanks!"

"So glad the two of you are getting along!" praised Yuya, surprising both girls.

"Oh, Yuya! Everyone else! Sorry, we didn't notice you," apologized Mitsumi, helping Ayu clean up the mess of dueling cards. "How was the duel?"

"A bit sweaty, but alright," replied Sora nonchalantly. "You know, I could really go for some ice cream! Yuzu-chan! Can you go get some ice cream for us?"

"Yeah! I want some, too!" cheered Tatsuya and Futoshi.

"What?! Why do I have to go?" complained Yuzu, annoyed.

"Well, you didn't get to duel all day today," said Sora. "And, as winner from the tag duel, I say, get some ice cream! Yeah!"

"Hey, that's a little bit unfair," said Mitsumi. "I didn't get to duel today, either. Maybe I should go with Yuzu, too."

"Eh?! But I didn't even agree to-Ugh, fine!" sighed Yuzu. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a walk to the grocery store."

"I'll go, too!" said Ayu.

"Oh, me too!" said Yuya, raising his hand.

"Yuya, you're coming with us?" asked Yuzu, surprised.

"Huh? Oh, no. I want some ice cream too, so can you PLEASE get some for us? I'm really, really, tired!"

Yuzu didn't bother hiding the irritation in her expression. "Seriously?! And I thought you were going to be a gentleman for me this time!"

"Uh, Yuya? Don't you remember? You're grounded for a month, which means no sweets for you," reminded Mitsumi.

"I-It'll just be one little treat! Please? I'm dying without sweets!" whined Yuya, giving the girls the puppy dog eyes.

"You sound just like Sora," deadpanned Yuzu, still ticked off.

"Hmm...Okay, then we'll buy some for you, Yuya," said Mitsumi. "But, we have to select it for you, understand?"

Yuya nodded frantically with a happy expression. "Yes, thank you!"

Mitsumi turned to Yuzu. "Yuzu-chan? What was the one ice cream flavor Yuya hated? I can't seem to recall...Was it... _Cheese?"_

Yuzu quickly caught on to what Mitsumi planned and grinned devilishly. "Yeah...I remember it was definitely Cheese! Wouldn't it be fortunate if we just went to a store, looked around, picked up some Cheese ice cream, and bought it for a certain tomato-haired moron?"

Yuya's happy expression changed to that of horror as his face paled. "No...No, you guys wouldn't...! Don't be so cruel to moi!"

"Mitsumi-chan, Ayu-chan, let's go and hurry to the store before it closes! We'll go get some ice cream. Especially _cheese_ -flavored," snickered Yuzu, glancing back at Yuya with a sinister face as she took both girls by the hand.

"Okay!" The two girls said in unison, following after Yuzu.

After the female trio left, Yuya fell to his knees. "No...No...! NOOOOOOO!"

Ignoring Yuya's peril, Sora simply licked his lollipop, popping it out of his mouth to ask a question. "...Cheese? Really?"

"It was a really bad experience for me, alright?!"

"I've got time."

* * *

 _Later..._

"Jeez, if they wanted ice cream that much, they should get it themselves!" complained Yuzu, still upset that she had to go all the way to the store just to buy ice cream for her friends, even with Ayu and Mitsumi with her.

"But while complaining, you still bought them a bunch!" pointed out Ayu. "You're really nice, Yuzu-neechan!"

"Well...not completely nice," giggled Yuzu. "I still made sure to get Yuya his cheese-flavored ice cream!~ Ohohohoho!"

"You know, when you laugh like that, it's really weird," said Mitsumi, sweatdropping.

"Oh, hush! Besides, you were the one who brought up the idea of getting Yuya the one ice cream flavor he hates!" said Yuzu.

"Only because he needed a little bit of discipline," replied Mitsumi. "Look, I like cooking and making sweets for others, but Yuya went too far with trying to figure out his Pendulum Summoning. It was so bad, he ended up with a fever in bed! So, I thought this was probably for the best."

"You did the right thing," assured Yuzu, patting Mitsumi on the shoulder. "Maybe now, this'll teach Yuya some self-control and-"

"Wait," said Mitsumi, stopping Yuzu and Ayu before kneeling down, taking a surprised Yuzu with her before placing a finger on her lips to signal the two girls to quiet down. While Yuzu was talking, she happen to hear some familiar voices and glanced up; her senses confirming suspicion.

Walking on top of the water bank, where at the bottom the three girls were hiding, two of Shingo's friends, Ootomo and Yamabe, were holding onto bags of food and talking with one another, loud enough for the girls to hear.

"Sawatari-san's going all out, isn't he?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to crush Yuya Sakaki,' he says. Sounds like he's going to do something awful! He's going to be focusing on attacking his weak points!"

"And it's not just him! I heard he's gonna take revenge against Nazuno-san, too! Guess he really wants to settle the score with her."

"Doesn't he have a higher win record than her, though?"

"He must really want her to be his girlfriend. Can't blame him, she is pretty cute and one of the most beautiful girls in school."

"Oh! We better hurry! He gets even more selfish when he's hungry!"

"Yeah, his favorite dessert they serve at the store is pretty good, but I think Nazuno-san's cooking is better. She did make those awesome muffins, after all!"

"Yeah! Hey, think we can ask her to make more?"

"Probably! Let's hurry back, anyways!"

Seeing the two of them leave, Mitsumi frowned. _'Yeah, after hearing that, no way am I cooking for them again,'_ she thought. If what Ootomo and Yamabe was true, then that meant that Sawatari could try and do something drastic just like he did when he took Yuzu and her friends hostage, thus forcing Mitsumi into a duel for the Pendulum cards. She didn't want a repeat of that happening, and she didn't want to reveal anymore of her real skills.

It was so frustrating keeping up a façade, after all these years!

"Sawatari!" growled Yuzu, quietly giving chase.

"Ah! Yuzu-oneechan!" cried out Ayu, trying to catch up to her.

"Wait, Yuzu-chan!" said Mitsumi, grabbing onto her wrist and stopping her. "Think this through! We go now, we're pretty much all falling for Sawatari-san's trap! He could easily capture all three of us and force Yuya to duel him unfairly!"

"S-She's right!" agreed Ayu. "And I don't wanna get stuck in a tower again! It was real scary!"

Yuzu also didn't want to be stuck in the same predicament again, but she frowned at Mitsumi's words suspiciously. _'That's true, but Mitsumi-chan can easily take down Sawatari and his goons! She did last time, and in a badass way, so I don't see why she couldn't now.'_ "Mitsumi-chan, I know you're worried, but this time, I want to repay you," said Yuzu.

"What?"

"Last time, you saved me and the kids, and now, Sawatari's willing to go after you and Yuya. I can't let that happen, so leave everything to me!" said Yuzu.

 _'You stupid idiot! I don't want you to even do that!'_ thought Mitsumi, gritting her teeth. _'Then again, if we don't do anything, Sawatari might try and pull something later. Probably best to deal with it now. If things get hairy, I'll just grab Yuzu and leave.'_

"Fine, alright. But I'm coming with you, anyways! You might need help," said Mitsumi.

Yuzu looked a little reluctant, but nodded in the end. "Alright. Ayu-chan, go back to the others and get Yuya to come to...uh..."

"Warehouse 52. Sawatari-san and his friends often hang out there," informed Mitsumi calmly.

"...How...how do you even know that?"

Letting out a gasp, Mitsumi tried to think of a good excuse. "Uh...Sawatari-san mentioned it before. I just happen to remember it right now! Ahaha..." _'Yeah, I can't tell her I was eavesdropping on some of his friends before.'_

"...Alright, then. Ayu-chan, go and get Yuya to come to Warehouse 52 in the docks," Yuzu told Ayu, handing her the bag of ice cream. "Me and Mitsumi-chan will go on ahead."

"But-!"

"Let's go, Mitsumi!" said Yuzu, grabbing Mitsumi's hand before running to catch up to Shingo's friends. having already fallen behind.

"I still don't agree with this idea, but okay!" said Mitsumi, leaving Ayu alone to head back by herself.

Soon, by the time they arrived at the docks, it was already sundown, and the two girls arrived in time to see Ootomo and Yamabe enter Warehouse 52, closing the doors behind them. Both girls were hiding behind a pile of boxes, waiting for their chance to barge in.

"I still don't get how you knew his secret place was this warehouse, Mitsumi-chan," whispered Yuzu.

"I already told you, Sawatari-san blurted it out to me accidentally before! Something about his special hanging spot or something," said Mitsumi.

"Well, let's go in! Now's our chance!"

"Or, since we already know they hang out here, we could wait and-She already went. Damnit..." Mitsumi followed after Yuzu, who was now standing in front of the warehouse docks. Unknown to both girls, they were being watched by a mysterious individual, who was more surprised at Yuzu's arrival.

Inside, Shingo was just taking a bite of his dessert, sitting alongside his friends when Yuzu suddenly ripped the door open. "You coward!" the pink-haired girl yelled accusatively as Mitsumi stood behind her.

 _'Goddamnit, Yuzu,'_ thought Mitsumi, annoyed as she followed Yuzu inside.

Because of Yuzu's sudden intrusion, Shingo was shocked enough to begin choking on his food, in which one of his friends handed him a water bottle to swallow down the food easily.

"'I'll do whatever it takes to crush Yuya,' you say?" continued Yuzu. "I'll never let you do that!"

"Yuzu Hiiragi?! Mitsumi-chan?! Why are you two here?!" coughed Shingo, gasping for air after nearly choking.

"I don't have to explain that to you!"

"Um...Sawatari-san? You've got some pie crumbs on your mouth," Mitsumi pointed out politely. "You might wanna...uh..."

"What?!"

"Sawatari-san! Use this!" One of his friends offered, handing Shingo a napkin to clean his face in.

In a dramatic fashion and as a way to show himself off, Shingo tossed the napkin aside, giving a grand smirk that he hoped would impress the ladies.

It didn't.

 _'Does he really have to be that dramatic? My god, he's like a drama queen,'_ thought Mitsumi.

Opening his mouth, Shingo started to say, "Yuzu Hiiragi, Mitsumi-chan! It looks like you two lovely ladies have fallen for our-"

"Duel me!" declared Yuzu.

Surprised by her interruption, Shingo continued. "And beca-"

"I'm gonna beat the crap outta you!"

Trying to ignore her interruptions, Shingo proceeded to boast further. "The goddess of victory is-"

"What's wrong?! Are you afraid you'll lose to me?!"

"Let me talk!" snapped Shingo, annoyed that he keeps getting interrupted over and over.

Mitsumi couldn't help but give out a quiet snicker, covering her mouth and turning her head so nobody would notice her amused expression. _'This is a lot more entertaining than I thought!'_

"I don't plan on listening to you!" yelled Yuzu. "You coward, sore-loser, second-rate duelist!"

 _'Oh, right! Gotta keep my façade!'_ thought Mitsumi, turning to Yuzu. "Y-Yuzu-chan! That was a bit low! Maybe you shouldn't provoke him!"

"No way! I'm not taking back anything I just said! He is a second-rate duelist! A cowardly one at that!"

Taking offense to her comment, Shingo murmured, "A second-rate duelist...?! How dare you-?!"

"No, you're even below that!" shouted Yuzu. "Third-rate! Fourth! A hundred-rate duelist!"

Seeing Shingo grow silent and trembling with anger, Mitsumi frowned and knew that the tension in the air had grown thicker with the sudden change in Shingo's emotions. Being a former Pro Duelist when she was a child, Mitsumi had encountered scenarios with child duelists who were arrogant and easy to eager with taunts and insults, and right now, Yuzu was doing just that to Shingo. She knew if things went too far, it could escalate to a bigger disaster than when she dueled Shingo.

No, perhaps it was already too late.

"Yuzu-chan, I think that's enough," said Mitsumi, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I think he gets it. I don't think you should duel-"

"What are you saying?! That stupid guy needs to pay!" said Yuzu, pushing aside Mitsumi's hand on her shoulder. "Coward! No, you're more than a hundred-rate duelist! You're a millionth-"

"YUZU!" hollered Mitsumi; her angry tone in her loud voice echoing throughout the inside of the warehouse. Silence filled the entire warehouse afterwards; nobody daring to speak another word as even Shingo was temporarily snapped out of his angered state.

Yuzu turned to face Mitsumi, only to be startled when she saw Mitsumi's cold and angry gaze. All the confidence she had been building up to face Shingo had suddenly vanished in the blink of an eye when seeing Mitsumi's expression. _'W-What's this cold feeling? I've never seen Mitsumi like this!'_ she thought. _'Right now, she looks so...scary!'_

Realizing that the atmosphere changed because of her, Mitsumi shook her head and turned away. _'Damnit! I let my cold face during dueling appear! Gotta keep control of that. What's wrong with me, today?'_ she thought before trying to smile awkwardly.

"Uh...I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you like that, Yuzu-chan. I was trying to get your attention, that's all!" said Mitsumi.

"Y-Yeah...don't worry. It's fine," assured Yuzu, still startled. She shook off the thought of Mitsumi actually being scary and assumed that she had just allowed her own anger to cloud her mind. Thanks to Mitsumi, though, she was back in the game and more focused than ever!

The warehouse suddenly darkened as the doors closed thanks to Kakimoto's actions and him standing guard so nobody could get in or out. That meant Yuzu had to duel her way out for freedom.

"What you just said," spoke Shingo angrily as he walked towards the middle of the warehouse, facing Yuzu. "If you want to take it back, now's your chance."

"Too bad! I don't feel like it, one bit!" shouted Yuzu. "You cowardly, sore-loser, hundred-rate duelist!"

Gritting his teeth, Shingo placed his D-Pad on his wrist, ready to establish a duel with Yuzu. "That ignorant attitude of yours-! I'm going to make you regret not knowing your place! Yamabe! Ootomo! Get Mitsumi-chan! Hold her!"

"What?!" Both Mitsumi and Yuzu exclaimed, shocked at Shingo's command. Even Ootomo and Yamabe seemed hesitant at the command, but nodded to each other and started to run forward.

"Mitsumi-chan! Get behind me!" said Yuzu, shielding the blue-haired girl with her body.

 _'He cannot be serious! Is he seriously planning on taking me as a hostage!'_ thought Mitsumi, disgusted. _'Ugh! Do I have to play the frail, weak damsel again?! What do I do?!'_

A scream disrupted the start of the duel as everyone froze in place. Kakimoto, who was supposed to be guarding the only exit, was suddenly thrown to the ground from the open door as a mysterious duelist wearing a mask and a ragged cloak entered.

Disregarding their orders to take Mitsumi, both Ootomo and Yamabe ran up behind Shingo, who was both irritated and confused by the mysterious masked duelist's appearance. "Who are you?" Shingo asked.

"Back down," the masked duelist ordered Yuzu, who was still protecting Mitsumi and tightly gripping her hand.

"Huh? What's with you?" asked Yuzu.

But the masked duelist was now longer paying attention to her. No, he was more focusing on the LDS badged pinned to Shingo's collar.

"Yuzu-chan, let's do what he says!" whispered Mitsumi, tugging on her arm. "Let's just get out of here while we still can!"

"No, I wanna see what's going on!" argued back Yuzu.

"Showing up all of a sudden," said Shingo. 'Are you supposed to be some knight in shining armor that's come to save the princess? Well, _princesses_ , in this situation?"

Flinging his arm out of his cloak, the masked duelist activated his duel disk, which emitting a purple blade to serve as his dueling field.

"That's an odd duel disk you have there," muttered Shingo. "So, you don't intend to answer my questions, then?"

"Hold on! What are you doing, butting in like this?!" said Yuzu, about to place her duel disk on her wrist. "This is my duel!"

Placing his hand on Yuzu's arm to stop her, the masked duelist finally spoke. "I don't want you to get hurt anymore..."

"E-Eh?"

Gently pulling Yuzu back by the shoulders, Mitsumi asked, "Yuzu-chan, do you know that guy?"

"N-No...I don't."

"Well, are you cool?" taunted Shingo. "But you should leave it at that, Knight-kun! You'll just embarrass yourself!"

 _'From all my past experience dueling, I can tell...that masked guy's on a whole different level! Probably around my-no, maybe even higher than me!'_ thought Mitsumi. _'I can tell this guy's an opponent that Sawatari could never beat in a million years! I don't know if he's trustworthy, but we can definitely trust him to take over the duel!'_

"This'll be a perfect chance to test out my new deck!" bragged Shingo, activating his duel disk. "I'll crush you!"

"DUEL!" both of them shouted.

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Unknown - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Shingo - 4000 LP**

"I'll go first," stated the masked duelist firmly.

"Go ahead, Knight-kun," agreed Shingo.

"I set all five cards from my hand, facedown!" said the masked duelist, shocking everyone. "I end my turn!"

Shock changed to mocking laughter for Shingo. "Whoa, now! You come in here acting all cool, and that's all you can do? This'll be way easier than I thought!"

'Sawatari-san! End him!" cheered his friends from the background.

Ceasing his laughter, Shingo continued mocking the masked duelist. "You didn't draw a single monster? I feel so sorry for you! You don't _got it_ , do you?"

"...Didn't you hear me? I ended my turn," said the masked duelist, unresponsive to Shingo's insults.

"Hah?"

 _'Normally, one doesn't set all of their cards facedown. This just confirms that the cards he had in his hands were all Spells and Traps,'_ thought Mitsumi, observing the duel closely. _'It's clear that one of the facedown cards is a devastating trap that could go off if Sawatari isn't careful. That, or the masked duelist just didn't have any Monsters in his hand at the time and is now bluffing to buy some time. I'm willing to bet the former, though, so even Sawatari might not be stupid enough to suddenly attack without a plan.'_

"I'll show you my perfect dueling! My turn, draw!" declared Shingo, drawing his card. "Allow me to use those set cards of yours! If there are two or more cards in my opponent's Spell or Trap Zone, I can Special Summon this Monster from my hand! Come forth, Escher the Frost Vassal!"

Escher the Frost Vassal - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (800/1000)

"And now, I sacrifice Escher to Tribute Summon Mobius the Frost Monarch!"

Mobius the Frost Monarch - (WATER/Aqua) - LV6 - (2400/1000)

"Alright! In an instant, he summoned a 2400 Attack Point Monster!" cheered Kakimoto.

 _'Oh, goddamnit! That lovestruck idiot!'_ thought Mitsumi, ticked off. _'I knew it! He probably picked a WATER deck not just to replace his Dart deck, but also to correspond with my own WATER Ritual deck! One of these days, I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill him so hard-! Calm down, Mitsumi. Just focus on the duel.'_

"Mobius' ability activates!" continued Shingo. "When this card's Tribute Summoned, I can target up to 2 Spell and/or Trap cards on the field and destroy them! How's that for impressive?! Now, I activate the Spell card, Tribute Carnival from my hand! This allows me to Tribute Summon again if I already Tribute Summoned a Monster this turn!"

"He's going to release the 2400 Attack Point Monster and Tribute Summon another Monster?!" gasped Yuzu.

 _'If that's the case, then what he's about to summon is even more powerful than Mobius the Frost Monarch!'_ thought Mitsumi, narrowing her eyes.

"That's right!" shouted Shingo gleefully. "I sacrifice Mobius and Tribute Summon! Come forth, Mobius the Mega Monarch!"

Mobius the Mega Monarch - (WATER/Aqua) - LV8 - (2800/1000)

"Usually, this would require sacrificing two Monsters, but if it was a Monster that was already successfully Tribute Summoned, you can use that Monster and it counts as two!" explained Shingo. "That is the power of Mega Monarch!"

"COOL!" cheered Shingo's friends.

"Mobius the Mega Monarch has another ability!" said Shingo. "When he's successfully Tribute Summoned, I can target up to three Spells or Trap cards on the field, and destroy them!"

"Hey, Knight-kun! Why don't you use those Set cards before they get destroyed?" called out Kakimoto.

"It'd be pointless!" replied Shingo. "If this Monster was Tribute Summoned using a WATER Monster, Mobius the Mega Monarch prevents the targeted cards from activating!"

Mobius the Mega Monarch sent a cold icy blizzard after activating his effect, destroying the remainder of the masked duelist's set cards, thus leaving his dueling field completely empty.

 _'S-So cold! What gives?!'_ thought Mitsumi, rubbing her arms. _'Wait, cold? From the blizzard?'_

Mitsumi wasn't the only one to notice the rushing blizzard affecting her, because Yuzu also felt the cold blizzard wind. "Eh? How come I can feel the wind even though this isn't an Action Field?"

"With this, all of your set cards have been destroyed and your hand's at zero," confirmed Shingo. "On top of that, you don't have any wall Monsters out. After that cool entrance, this is pretty pathetic!"

"H-Hey, you have to do better than that!" said Yuzu. "If this is all you can do, then it'd be better if you'd let me-"

The masked duelist glared at her, silencing her with his stern gaze. Mitsumi slightly tightened her grip on Yuzu's shoulders, feeling the power behind those eyes. She's seen such power in the eyes of Pro Duelists, and the masked duelist was definitely on a high level like that of a Pro Duelist. She just hoped this guy wouldn't turn out to be an enemy.

"Now, then, my gloomy Knight-kun!" taunted Shingo further. "I'm sorry for the rude awakening, but I'd appreciate it if you stepped down from the stage."

The masked duelist merely glared at Shingo silently behind his mask, no longer focusing on Yuzu and now back to the duel.

"Now, I attack directly with Mobius the Mega Monarch!" declared Shingo, entering the Battle Phase.

The spikes on Mobius' armor extended and emitted a light turquoise-colored glow, indicating that Mobius was about to lay a direct attack involving a blizzard.

Before the direct attack could commence, the masked duelist spoke out. "I activate a Spell card from my Graveyard, The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil!"

"Huh?! You're going to activate a Spell card from your Graveyard?!" exclaimed Shingo, surprised as such a thing was never heard of before.

Even Mitsumi was surprised with such a card existing from the masked duelist's move. _'Huh, didn't expect that. There aren't a lot of cards that can be activated upon simply being in the Graveyard, but they do exist. I wonder, though...I've never heard of Phantom Knights, before.'_

"When a direct attack is declared, I can Special Summon as many of The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil cards as Monsters as possible," explained the masked duelist. "I'll Special Summon all three in Defense Mode!"

The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (0/300)

"When the card's Special Summoned using this effect are sent to the Graveyard, they're banished instead!"

"You set those cards intending to use their abilities to Special Summon them, then?" wondered Yuzu.

"Hmph! They're just wall Monsters you summoned while you were flustered! I'll destroy them!" snorted Shingo, not impressed. 'Go, Mobius the Mega Monarch! Attack one of those pathetic Shadow Veils!"

Charging forward, Mobius the Mega Monarch pierced through one of the Shadow Veils with his spikes and destroyed it easily, bringing an end to the blizzard storm from before.

"When destroyed, the Shadow Veil is sent to the Graveyard and instead banished," repeated the masked duelist.

"Looks like you just barely saved yourself this time," said Shingo. "I set one card facedown and end my turn!"

 _'Even if the duelist didn't bring out those Monsters, he would have still survived this round, only with less Life Points than Sawatari,'_ thought Mitsumi. _'That was still a good move he performed. Not only did he summon three Monsters, even if they were Spells, but he also defended his Life Points and still has some Monsters remaining. Wait...he has two left, with the same Levels...Don't tell me-!'_

"I guess I'll let you live one more turn," said Shingo.

"There will be no more turn for you!" pointed out the masked duelist coldly, confusing Shingo. "My turn, draw! ...I thought you'd put up more of a fight, but your dueling...I don't feel the sharpness of a blade or the power of a bullet in it. Not even a _fragment_ of it."

"And what does that mean?"

"All of the conditions have been met," announced the masked duelist. "When there are two Monsters with the same level on my field, my deck's evolution manifests itself!"

 _'I knew it!'_ thought Mitsumi, surprised. _'He's going to-!'_

"I use the two Level 4 Shadow Veils to build the Overlay Network!"

A swirling vortex of darkness and light emerged from the ground as the two Shadow Veils converted into flashes of light that split and fell into the abyss of the swirling vortex, shocking everyone as they knew what sort of summoning method was about to happen.

"Formed from pitch-black darkness, to fight those foolish enough to oppose its treacherous fangs! Descend, now! XYZ Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!"

A large dragon overshadowed the entire dueling field and let out an eerie roar that echoed across the warehouse. Its purple orbs surrounded parts of its strangely constructed wings, but its glare was enough to terrify anyone.

Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2500/2000)

"XYZ Summon?" gasped Yuzu, astonished.

 _'The higher the rank, the more powerful an XYZ Monster is!'_ thought Mitsumi, touching her arm. _'Their true power remains in their abilities, which the cost is often their Overlay Units. Because of my harsh training, I'm well-aware of all of the summoning methods and the advantages that come with them. I wonder what sort of power this dragon has?'_

"Whoa, he summoned a Monster from his Extra deck?" wondered one of Shingo's friends.

"He was an XYZ user?!"

"Seriously?! XYZ Summoning is a course only the top level elite students at LDS choose to take!"

As soon as the smoke cleared upon the XYZ Summoning of the masked duelist's ace Monster, Shingo mockingly clapped. "I'll admit, I was surprised when you XYZ Summoned so quickly. But, are you really planning on battling my Mobius with that Monster? Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon's Attack Points are only 2500, while my Mobius' is 2800!"

 _'He's right about that,'_ Mitsumi thought. _'That masked duelist summoned a good Monster, but it's not enough to take on Mobius. Unless he has a plan that can take down that Mobius in this turn, he might be out of luck!'_

Twirling one of his hair bangs, Shingo confidently said, "It seems your XYZ Summoning turned out to be just a bluff!"

"XYZ Monsters' true power is to use their souls, their Overlay Units, to annihilate their foes," explained the masked duelist.

Expressing disinterest, Shingo said, "Enough with your XYZ lessons! I'm not interested in the slightest!"

"Then, I shall have you bear witness to their power! Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon's ability activates! By using one Overlay Unit until the end of this turn, he can lower one Level 5 or greater Monster's Attack Points on my opponent's side of the field by half, and Dark Rebellion's Attack Points increase by that amount!"

Purple discharging electricity shot out from the dragon's body and heavily affected Mobius the Mega Monarch, absorbing its power as well as weakening him at the same time.

Mobius the Mega Monarch - (WATER/Aqua) - LV8 - (1400/1000)

Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (3900/2000)

 _'Such a powerful effect!'_ thought Mitsumi, horrified like the others. _'So, this is how he'll turn the tables around!'_

"I'm not finished yet!" shouted the masked duelist. "I use the last remaining Overlay Unit and activate Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon's effect! **Treason Discharge**!"

Once more, Dark Rebelliong XYZ Dragon unleashed an absorbing voltage that both strengthened him while in turn, weakened the other Monster.

Mobius the Mega Monarch - (WATER/Aqua) - LV8 - (700/1000)

Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (4600/2000)

"No way, no way, NO WAY!" cried out Shingo, horrified.

"Battle! I attack Mobius the Mega Monarch with Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon! Go! Crush that glacier with your fangs! **Revolt of the Lightning! Disobey**!"

His wings sparking with crackling lightning, Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon flew forward with his fang-like tusks glowing; impaling the weakened Mobius the Mega Monarch. Defeated, the Monarch exploded, throwing Shingo backwards and crashing to a wall.

With debris flying around and the slight shockwave affecting the inside of the warehouse, Mitsumi and Yuzu tried to keep steady on their feet, trying to avoid the debris. Mitsumi embraced Yuzu tightly and held her close to her chest, protecting her, whereas the masked duelist rushed in to shield both girls from harm. Because he protected them, one of the stones from the flying debris hit and cracked the lens of his goggles.

Grunting in pain, he stumbled forward and crashed into the girls. The impact wasn't enough to send them crashing to the ground, as the three of them were still standing, but unknown to anyone, a card flew out from the masked duelist's cloak and fell to the ground, unnoticed.

As soon as the chaos died down, the hanger was practically damaged with some smoke still lurking around with some small fires on the ground. Everyone but the masked duelist was still shaken from the previous attack that felt so real enough to cause this much damage to the warehouse.

 **Unknown - 4000 LP**

 **Shingo - 100 LP**

"What the hell is this?!" cried out one of Shingo's friends. "It's not an Action Field, but we felt that impact!"

"That guy's Monster's power sent us flying?!"

Stepping forward, the masked duelist approached Shingo. "I'll only ask you once, so you better answer me properly!" Holding up an LDS badge he took out from his pocket, the masked duelist asked, "Is this a badge from LDS?"

"Y-Yeah, so what?" wondered Shingo, still startled.

"What's your connection with Academia?"

"A-Academia? I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Don't play dumb!" snapped the masked duelist.

"I'm not! Anyone who's enrolled in LDS has a badge like that! I don't know anything about this Academia or whatever it is you're talking about! I swear!"

The mask and his darkened expression made it difficult for anyone to tell what the masked duelist was thinking, but after a short while, the masked duelist concluded that Shingo was telling the truth. "Then, I have no business with you," he decided, turning around to leave.

Seeing Shingo's startled expression change to that to a triumphant grin, Mitsumi warned, "Watch out! He's planning something!"

"Idiot! The duel isn't over yet!" said Shingo, standing back up as the masked duelist continued walking away. "I activate my Trap, Ice Rage! This card can be activated when an Aqua-Type Monster on my field is destroyed! It destroys one of my opponent's Monsters and deals damage to them equal to their Attack Points! Your Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon is destroyed, and you lose 4600 Life Points!"

 _'That's more than enough to wipe out his Life Points!'_ thought Mitsumi, releasing Yuzu from her embrace. _'I don't know how that stranger's going to counteract that! Just when he turned the tides with his dragon's special ability-!'_

Laughing, Shingo bragged, "I read your moves and planned ahead by setting that Trap card and now I've won!"

"...Such cheap tactics," muttered the masked duelist. "It's child's play, honestly."

'What was that?!"

"I activate from my Graveyard, the Continuous Spell card, Phantom Knights' Spear. During either of our turns, when my opponent activates a Trap card, I can banish this card from my Graveyard, negate the activation of your Trap, and if I do, destroy it, and you get dealt 100 Points of Damage."

Left with only 100 Life Points, Shingo's confidence dropped down towards fear at the sight of the Phantom Knights Spear aiming directly towards him. It didn't take a math genius to tell that should Shingo receive 100 or more Damage, he'll lose for certain. Not only that, but considering that there was a real icy blizzard as well as the last Monster attack nearly destroying the warehouse, Shingo was certain that should he take the effect, the spear might actually _pierce_ him.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait-!"

"Experience this with your own flesh!" declared the masked duelist, showing not even a pint of mercy. "The rage and sorrow of battlefield!"

The spear made contact with Shingo, and although it appeared as though it thrusted through his chest, it only pierced his jacket. Still, the effect of Phantom Knights' Spear was enough to deduce the last of Shingo's Life Points, making the masked duelist the winner.

 **Unknown - 4000 LP**

 **Shingo - 0 LP**

 **Winner: Unknown**

Once the duel reached a conclusion with a clear victor, the holograms in the duel vanished, including the masked duelist's ace dragon and the spear that was so close to penetrating Shingo.

Removing his mask, the mysterious duelist let out a breath as the smoldering flames on the ground shed light on his face. Mitsumi didn't recognize the strange individual, but noted on his physical characteristics; dark and purple spiky hair and dark grey-colored eyes.

"Yuya!" cried out Yuzu, walking up to him.

"Wait, what?" asked Mitsumi, confused.

"I-It was you-?!" Shingo stammered before passing out. Panicking, Shingo's friends rushed to his aid and helped carry him out of the warehouse, though no one paid heed to their escape as it just left the two girls alone with the mysterious duelist.

"Yuya! Why do you look like that?" questioned Yuzu.

"Wait, you think this guy looks like Yuya?" Mitsumi asked, realizing she was referring to the mysterious duelist earlier. "Yuzu, he looks nothing like Yuya! What are you talking about?"

Before Yuzu could answer, her bracelet started glowing, flashing bright enough to blind everyone until the light faded. When it did, the mysterious duelist had vanished, leaving only Yuzu and Mitsumi alone together.

"W-What?" Mitsumi stepped forward, looking around in search for the mysterious duelist, only to find not a single trace of him left. She noticed a card and picked it up, deciding to hold onto it for the time being. "What...was that?"

"I...I don't know," said Yuzu. "Yuya?"

"Yuzu! Mitsumi!" Yuya called out, running around the docks in search for the two girls until he spotted them through the opened doors of the warehouse they were in. "Are you two alright?!"

"Y-Yeah!" said Mitsumi, nodding. "We're alright now!"

"Yuya…" spoke Yuzu. "You're Yuya, aren't you?"

"Huh? What are you talking about, Yuzu?" asked Yuya.

"Then, that wasn't Yuya…?" muttered Yuzu.

"Huh? Of course that guy wasn't Yuya, Yuzu! He obviously had different colored hair and eyes than Yuya!" said Mitsumi, frowning. "Are...you feeling alright, Yuzu?"

"I...Never mind." Yuzu looked away, thinking more about the mysterious duelist that seemed to resemble Yuya.

"Why does this place smell like smoke?" wondered Yuya, sniffing the air. "Were you guys having a bonfire or something? Man, that reeks!"

"...No, Yuya, we weren't having a bonfire," sighed Mitsumi, seeing as Yuzu was distracted, possibly thinking about the stranger that saved them. "It's...a long story."

* * *

 **Skit: Finders Keepers?**

After Yuya escorted both her and Yuzu back home safely, Mitsumi waited for her grandmother to fall asleep before collapsing on her bed with her room's light still on. She couldn't sleep quite yet, as she wanted to examine the card she had taken from the warehouse.

Fishing through her jacket pocket to make sure she had it, Mitsumi felt the card's texture before taking it out. Judging from the name of the card and how she found it in the first place, this card was without a doubt, something that belonged to the mysterious duelist.

"The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin..." muttered Mitsumi, reading through the card effects. She decided to keep the card for now. After all, she just so happened to find it lying on the ground, and if she ever met that mysterious duelist again, she would return the card back to him. But if she doesn't, then it wouldn't hurt to keep the card and add it to her collection.

Who knows? She might need it sooner than later.

* * *

 **Okay, good episode! Nice and all! So, obviously, in the next chapter, it'll be that three-on-three duel with You Show Duel School at stake! So, I was wondering, you want me to skip and pretty much summarize Yuya and Yuzu's duels and then get on with Round 3, which will be different?**

 **Oh, and like I mentioned, there will be changes in this story about the anime. Obviously, I'm making Mitsumi the logical one, as she pointed out that Yuto isn't Yuya. Seriously, though in the anime, is everyone blind about the differences? They didn't really clear that up.**

 **That said, read and review! I'm willing to take in any sort of ideas for this story!**


	10. Three-on-three Duel School!

**Hey, guys! Thanks for waiting! The votes are in, and I'm glad that other people have agreed to skip the Yuya and Yuzu duels so we can always watch them later and are part of the plot, anyways!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"Sawatari-san! I came to visit!" called out Mitsumi, entering Shingo's hospital room while holding a basket meant for Shingo.

She had heard about Shingo resting in the hospital after his friends confronted her about it after pulling her aside during lunch break. Well, it was more like they begged her to come and visit Shingo after school since he requested to see her. As annoying as their pleas were, Mitsumi had to agree to keep up the kindhearted and shy façade that everyone was already familiar of. That, and she was rather curious herself as to how Shingo ended up in the hospital. Last night was a rather big incident, but it couldn't have been that bad, could it?

Apparently, it could. Shingo's head was wrapped up in bandages, he had a sling around his arm, and his leg was held up high by another sling to recover. Mitsumi didn't think that he was injured this badly, but then again, one can't just fake injuries in an official hospital.

"Um...are you alright, Sawatari-san?" Mitsumi asked, taking up a chair and sitting near his bed. "I bought you your favorite, sweet milk appleberry pie with honey! I'm sorry, I didn't have time to bake anything, but-"

"Ooh! My favorite!" said Shingo, snatching the basket away from her and uncovering his favorite dessert inside. "Mmm! Well, I guess I can forgive you if you feed me this lovely dessert you bought me!"

 _'Spoon feeding him? Okay, I'm just about ready to strangle this motherfuck-'_ thought Mitsumi, forcing herself to smile. _'No, stay calm, Mitsumi! Just do what he says for now!'_

"Alright, then! Now, let me see...Oh! There's a fork right there!" Mitsumi grabbed a fork from the table filled with gifts and sweets meant for Shingo and proceeded to spoon feed him the pie. "Um...Sawatari-san? May I ask how exactly you got injured?"

"You were there!" reminded Shingo, chewing on his food. "Last night! When that damned Yuya attacked me after I lo-After our duel! Damnit!"

"Wait, what? Your injuries came from that duel last night?" wondered Mitsumi. "Okay, first off, that last move during that duel barely made a scratch on you. Secondly, that guy from last night was NOT Yuya. He didn't even look like Yuya!"

"He did! He attacked me, and don't deny it! You and Hiiragi-kun were there!"

"Well, yes, but like I said, that duelist looked absolutely nothing like Yuya," protested Mitsumi, continuing to feed Shingo. "He had black and purple hair, and Yuya's hair is red and green! How can that-"

"Then he was in disguise! To hide his identity!" said Shingo. "No matter what you say, I'm convinced that Yuya Sakaki was the one who put me in this hospital!"

 _'Better change the question, then. It hasn't even been five minutes and he's already annoying me,'_ thought Mitsumi. "Alright, please calm down, Sawatari-san. It's no good to get all hot-tempered while you're still recovering. You still need your rest."

Shingo smirked. "Ah, you're just as kind as ever, Mitsumi-chan! As an reward for your kindness and care towards me, I shall grant you a kiss!~" With that said, he moved closer to Mitsumi, closing his eyes and preparing for a kiss...

Only to have his mouth filled with pie. Or rather, a spoonful of pie shoved into his mouth and the remains smeared all over his lips.

 _'Back off, asshole,'_ Mitsumi wanted to say. Instead, she said, "Oops! I'm sorry, Sawatari-san! I thought you wanted more pie! I...I'm afraid I can't really give you a kiss. You're still recovering!"

 _'Playing hard to get, huh? No matter! I shall one day be given a kiss by cute and shy little Mitsumi-chan!~'_ thought Shingo confidently, chewing and then swallowing the pie he was eating before licking his lips clean. "That's alright! I'm just glad you came to visit!"

"Okay! But...If you don't mind me asking, how is it you got really, badly injured? I-I mean I'm sorry if it's such a rude question, Sawatari-san, but I just want to know how. I-I don't think that duelist from last night injured you that badly..."

"Mitsumi-chan, you can ask me all the questions you want and I won't hesitate to answer!" replied Shingo. "And, to answer your question, that duelist did injure me! After I left the warehouse, I got ambushed by him and then beaten up real badly! I bet he thought I didn't have enough from our duel, so he proceeded to beat me up! Luckily, I am a black belt at karate-"

 _'Total liar,'_ Mitsumi thought, annoyed.

"-So, I fought off the best I could, performing my best karate moves, but unfortunately he managed to get away, but not without suffering injuries! And that's how I ended up in his hospital; a hero!"

 _'Wow, what an egotistical liar,'_ thought Mitsumi. _'Anyone can totally see that he's lying, but I may want to ask his friends what really happened later. For now, I'm just about ready to happily leave.'_

Glancing at her watch, Mitsumi looked surprised. "Oh! Sawatari-san, I'm sorry, but I'll have to cut our talk short. I have classes in You Show Duel School in about half an hour, so I have to go. I'm sorry, but I hope that you'll recover soon!"

"Wait!" said Shingo, grabbing her wrist with his free, "uninjured" arm. "Could I get a good luck kiss from you?"

 _'I am so gonna kill this guy!'_ Mitsumi thought before faking a smile. "I-I don't know...It might not be appropri-"

"Just one little peck on the lips, please?" Not wanting to take no for an answer, Shingo squeezed his eyes shut yet again and puckered up, leaning towards her.

 _'...I'm gonna smash his forehead.'_

Instead of giving in and kissing him, Mitsumi did what she thought to be one of the most satisfying decisions of her life; slamming her forehead against Shingo's after pretending she was going to kiss him. Granted, the recoil from such a big blow did cause pain and a slight headache to Mitsumi, but she felt it was definitely worth it.

"GAAAH! MY FOREHEAD! OWWWW! HEY, MITSUMI-CHAN!" cried out Shingo, rubbing the sore spot on his bandaged forehead.

Winching in pain after slightly touching her forehead, Mitsumi apologized, "I-I'm sorry, Sawatari-san! I-I didn't meant to mess up and...and...I'll leave you alone! See you!" She scrambled to get out of the room, leaving with a huge, successful grin on her face.

Shingo hissed in pain as he was left alone in his room. "Ow...! That hurt! But...Oh, well. I was so close to kissing her! I guess next time's the charm?"

Outside of his hospital room door, Mitsumi sighed and leaned her back against it. _'Thank god that's over with! But I swear, if he tries to kiss me and actually, somehow succeed, I'm gonna fuckin' punch him in the face. And I don't care who'll see. Well, I guess I should be glad he didn't. Anyways, I should get back.'_

* * *

 _Later, at You Show Duel School..._

"Today, we will be studying on the many different methods to summon!" announced Shuzo, using one of his teaching methods on a full-screen presentation in the darkened classroom to show his students. The presentation displayed a cartoonish image of Duel Monster cards along with a weak-looking Monster right next to a stronger-looking Monster.

Mitsumi, having been trained in Pro Dueling ever since she was just a little girl, was already fully aware of the different types of summoning. Normal Summoning, Set Summoning, and Tribute Summoning were part of the basics, and she understood them immediately. It wasn't like she was bragging, but she was aware because of her training and dueling experience. Still, this sort of education may be helpful for the more younger students, such as Ayu, Tatsuya, and Futoshi.

"First up is Normal Summoning," continued Shuzo. "This is the most common method where you summon them face-up in Attack Position, or also called Attack Mode, from your hand. Back in the past, you could also Normal Summon Monsters in face-up Defense Mode, but that has changed, and you're only allowed to summon them in face-up Attack Mode."

Ayu raised her hand. "Why wasn't that allowed anymore?"

"Well, I heard it was to make dueling more fair and a lot more interesting," Shuzo said, scratching his head. "I'm not sure about the official details, so this is just from my opinion. Next up is Advance Summoning, also known as Tribute Summoning! Tatsuya, can you explain it to us?"

"Yes!" said Tatsuya, standing up. "Tribute Summoning is another summoning method where you summon from your hand, but when summoning a Level 5 or 6 Monster, you can't do without sacrificing, or also known as Tributing, another Monster that's currently on your field. Furthermore, Level 7 or higher Monsters require two sacrifices."

Shuzo nodded proudly. "That's correct! Well done! You've been studying well-Huh?"

Ayu and Futoshi weren't even the slightest interested in the lesson, looking seemingly bored. "How boring..." groaned Futoshi.

"We already know all of this," said Ayu.

Seeing Shuzo depressed, Mitsumi decided to try and help cheer him up. "Now, now, you two!" Mitsumi scolded, turning to the two kids. "It's not bad to re-learn things. It's a good reminder and this sort of information may help you in a duel."

Shuzo glanced up, happy that Mitsumi was supporting him. "Mitsumi...!"

"Besides, you're being disrespectful towards your teacher. He put together this lesson to teach you things, and you not paying attention and even commenting how boring the lesson is isn't just out of line, but also improper. Such an attitude are for bad kids!"

Understanding Mitsumi's logic, both Ayu and Futoshi glanced at each other before turning to Shuzo apologetically. "We're sorry, sensei! It won't happen again!"

Shuzo grinned, placing his hands on his hips. "Awww! It's alright! So long as you understand, all is forgiven!"

"I perform a Fusion Summon with vanilla ice cream and custard pudding!" whispered Sora to himself, scooping up a bit of both of the desserts that he was intentionally hiding behind a textbook. "Devour it all! Sweets Ruler Vanilla Prince!"

"Hey, that's no good!" Yuya whispered to Sora, who was happily eating his two desserts.

"No, it tastes great! You want some, Yuya?"

"That's not what I meant! If you get caught eating that in class, who knows when Yuzu's paper fan...will...?" When Yuya turned to see what Yuzu was doing, he was surprised to see she was looking forward, as though paying attention to the lesson. But, being childhood friends with Yuzu, he knew that expression was that of a clear distraction instead of focusing on the lesson.

Yuzu must still be thinking of the events that occurred last night. Because Yuzu was unable to, Mitsumi had explained everything to Yuya as to what happened between Shingo and the mysterious masked duelist. Even Mitsumi didn't know why Yuzu was still out of it, though she did share her own opinions that Yuzu must still be in shock from what happened and that it was probably best to give her some time to pull through before talking to her further about it.

In the end, Yuya had to agree with Mitsumi's suggestion and left Yuzu alone during school. Still, he couldn't help but worry about his pink-haired friend, and seeing Mitsumi somewhat glance at Yuzu just now with a worrying look, he could guess that Mitsumi was just as concerned as he was. Perhaps after lessons were over, both of them could confront and talk to Yuzu?"

"Next up is Fusion Summoning," said Shuzo. "How about we have Sora explain this one?"

"I activate donut's effect!~" cheered Sora, now holding two donuts in his hand dramatically. "Vanilla Prince is powered up even more! Shing!~"

"What are you doing eating in class, Sora?!" Shuzo shouted in exasperation as Sora devoured his donuts happily.

"Dad!" shouted Yuzu, standing up from her seat. "Can you tell us anything about XYZ Summoning?"

The room grew silent and devoid of anymore excitement from Yuzu's request. Everyone had calmed down from the slight excited moment between Shuzo and Sora and Shuzo had a moment to composure himself before turning to his daughter in confusion.

"XYZ Summoning? No, I don't know, why?"

"We don't teach XYZ Summoning at our school, do we?" asked Yuzu.

"N-No, we don't. I can't teach what I haven't done," said Shuzo. "It's just recently that they started teaching it at LDS, isn't it? Why'd you bring up XYZ, anyways?"

"...Nothing. I was just...wondering."

"Ooh! Yuzu-neechan! If you want to know about XYZ Summoning, Mitsumi-neechan can tell you all about it!" replied Tatsuya. "She's the one who explained it to me before, after all!"

Everyone looked at from Tatsuya to Mitsumi, then back to Tatsuya. "...What do you mean by that?" asked Yuya.

 _'Ah, goddamnit,'_ thought Mitsumi, burying her face on her desk. She wanted to hide her true skills from everyone as possible because she didn't want to revert back to who she was in the past, and that included her huge knowledge and experience in Pro Dueling.

"When I was having trouble choosing my deck, Mitsumi-neechan helped me and answered a lot of questions I had about dueling!" explained Tatsuya. "She got me interested in XYZ Summoning! She might be able to answer your question about XYZ Summoning for you!"

Now everyone turned back to Mitsumi, as though awaiting for her answer. "Mitsumi-chan, do you...do you actually know what XYZ Summoning is?" asked Yuzu.

"Well...I...Tatsuya-kun! Maybe you can explain it to them?" Mitsumi suggested, trying to avert attention away from her.

"Hmm? But, I think you should! Your explanation's way easier than the commentaries I've heard from LDS! They make things so hard and complicated!"

Mitsumi mentally sighed, resigning herself to give a simple explanation instead of making her situation more troublesome than it already is. "Alright, alright. XYZ Summoning is basically overlaying at least two Monsters with the same Level from the Extra Deck."

Ayu raised her hand. "What do you mean, 'overlaying?'"

"Basically stacking two face-up Monsters on top of each other, which is overlaying, before putting the XYZ Monster on top. It's like making a miniature deck, but only with the XYZ Monster and the XYZ Material Monsters, which are the non-Extra Deck Monsters underneath the XYZ Monster."

"Are the two Monsters with the same Levels called XYZ Material Monsters?" asked Futoshi.

Mitsumi nodded. "Yes. And depending on the conditions, it can be more than two Monsters that can be used as XYZ Material, but the minimal requirement is two Monsters."

"What are the XYZ Material Monsters for?" Sora asked curiously with a sly look. "Are they just there for summoning an XYZ Monster?"

Shaking her head, Mitsumi said, "No, it's much more than just them acting as a summoning condition. You know how many Duel Monsters has special abilities, or effects, right? Well, for XYZ Monsters, sometimes, their effects require for them to 'detach' XYZ Material Monsters in order for the effects to be activated. Also, the XYZ Material Monsters are called Overlay Units, so they're extremely important for XYZ Monsters."

"You said you can only XYZ Summon an XYZ Monster with Monsters with the same Level?" asked Ayu.

"Yes, Ayu-chan."

"Then, what happens if you try to XYZ Summon Monsters that don't have a Level? If that's possible?"

Mitsumi shook her head. "That's impossible. An absolute requirement to XYZ Summoning is using Monsters with the same Level."

"The more complicated something is, the more interesting it must be!" exclaimed Sora. "I can't wait to XYZ Summon a high-leveled Monster someday!"

"Actually, you can't," informed Mitsumi. "XYZ Monsters don't have Levels. Yuya, what's the Level of your ace dragon?"

"Hmm? Odd-Eyes? Well, he's a Level 7 Monster. Why?"

"If you were to use another, different Level 7 Monster, you'd be able to XYZ Summon a Rank 7 Monster."

"Rank 7?" wondered Futoshi. "Not Level?"

"No, because instead of Levels, XYZ Monsters have Ranks. That's one of the many things that makes them different from Fusion or Synchro Monsters."

"...I think I have a general understanding of XYZ Summoning now," admitted Yuzu. "I'm still a little confused, but your explanation made it easier, Mitsumi-chan. Thank you."

"Yeah!"

"I-It really wasn't much," assured Mitsumi, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"..." Sora couldn't help but glare at Mitsumi suspiciously. If she had knowledge for XYZ Summoning, why didn't she play any during any of her duels ever since he became a student here? And why did she seem so hesitant as to share this sort of information until now? It was clear that she was hiding something, but what and why?

Mitsumi honestly wanted to avoid sharing any knowledge of her knowing all about this because she didn't want anyone to catch on how strong she truly was. She truly wanted to forget her painful past and just move on the future without any of her friends learning that she used to be a sort of a junior-level Pro Duelist. No way was she going back to that painful life again.

"You say he ambushed him?!" exclaimed an awfully loud, familiar voice that appeared as though it came from outside. "Yuya would never do something that cowardly!"

"Wait..." started Mitsumi. "That voice...is that-"

"Gongenzaka?!" finished Yuya, standing up in surprise.

It was unanimously decided that classes would be cancelled for the time being in order to check out what was going on outside. After exiting the You Show Duel School, Yuya and the others found Gongenzaka arguing with Shingo's three friends, Kakimoto, Ootomo, and Yamabe.

"What's all the fuss about?" asked Shuzo.

"Oh, Principal!" said Gongenzaka, relieved that someone had come to his aid. " "I, the man Gongenzaka, was in the midst run for my leg training, when I noticed three suspicious male figures peeking into this Duel School! When I questioned them, they said that Yuya had ambushed them last night! Truly unforgivable!"

"Wait, what?! Me?! But I didn't do anything!" cried out Yuya.

"That's what a liar would say, and we won't let you forget!" shouted Kakimoto.

"We were there and we saw you with our very own eyes!" replied Yamabe.

"There were five, no, _six_ witnesses present!" said Ootomo. "Sawatari-san, us three...and those two girls over there! Hiiragi and Nazuno-chan!"

Both Yuzu and Mitsumi looked a bit startled as the attention turned to them, although while Yuzu remained startled, Mitsumi quickly grew annoyed. Her annoyance vanished in an instant as she held up a nervous-looking expression.

"W-Well, it is true we were there, but..."

"T-then did you really see who ambushed them?" questioned Gongenzaka.

"Saw what? Yuzu, why didn't you tell me something important had happened last night?" asked Shuzo, concerned for his daughter.

"Yeah, those two girls definitely saw the culprit's face!" said Yamabe. "The son of the soon-to-be Mayor, Sawatari-san's assaulter, Yuya Sakaki!"

Yuya was still confused by the shocking truth being shoved into his face. "Huh?!"

"Stop lying!" yelled Futoshi.

"Yuya-niichan would never do something like that!" defended Tatsuya.

"The one who attacked first was that meanie Sawatari!" said Ayu. "So, in order to stop him, both Yuzu-neechan and Mitsumi-neechan went to go duel him!"

"Technically, I just came along to stop Yuzu from doing anything reckless, but yeah...I was still there," admitted Mitsumi.

"W-Wait, then the one who dueled him wasn't Yuya, but Yuzu?" wondered Shuzo.

"She didn't even get a chance to duel Sawatari-san before some mysterious duelist came up and took her place," Mitsumi corrected. "That duelist ambushed Sawatari-san, not Yuzu. And it definitely wasn't Yuya, either!"

"What are you talking about? It was definitely Yuya Sakaki!" argued Kakimoto. "We were all there, including you!"

"Yeah! He took off his mask and revealed his true identity! Yuya Sakaki!" said Yamabe.

 _'My god, how stupid are these idiots?'_ thought Mitsumi, resisting the urge to throttle them. _'They saw from the fire's light that it definitely wasn't Yuya! Yuya doesn't have purple and black hair! In fact, that duelist doesn't even resemble Yuya in the slightest! What is wrong with their eyesight?!'_

"I feel so sorry for Sawatari-san," sighed Ootomo. "He was injured so severely, he was hospitalized!"

"Hospitalized?! Seriously?!" gasped Yuya.

"His life could even be at risk!"

 _'Bullshit! I was there! He could easily recover in a few days time!'_ Mitsumi wanted to say. Instead, her eye twitched with annoyance as she remained calm and maintained her nervous façade. "Um..."

"If something happens to Sawatari-san, how are you going to take responsibility?!" accused Kakimoto to Yuya, who was still stunned that he was being accused of things he had never done.

"Take responsibility?! B-But I...I..."

"Can I say something?" asked Mitsumi, raising her hand and having quite enough with all this nonsense. "As one of the witnesses, I pretty much have the right to say something about all of this."

The three boys glanced at each other and nodded in agreement. "Fine, what is it you wanted to say?" asked Yamabe.

"I have a few things to say about all of this. First off, how do you even know it's Yuya? Like you said, you three, Sawatari-san, Yuzu, and me were all the six witnesses. But, look here." She walked up to Yuya and lightly tugged on his hair. "Yuya has GREEN and RED hair. That duelist from last night had PURPLE and BLACK hair. Or are you instigating that somehow, Yuya dyed his hair in a short amount of time?"

"H-He could have dyed his hair before coming to the rescue!" accused Kakimoto. "And then re-dyed it after to keep suspicion off of him!"

"No, it'd be more like he had a disguise or something!" said Yamabe. "Yeah! That has to be it!"

"...I admit, the disguise is a possibility," said Mitsumi.

"Mitsumi!" cried out Gongenzaka. "What gives?!"

"Hey, I don't want to think Yuya's the culprit, either," Mitsumi said. "And I'm not even done talking, so please...no outbursts, Gongenzaka."

"...I, the man Gongenzaka, apologize for my earlier outburst and for interrupting."

Mitsumi nodded and continued. "I have further proof that it's possible that the duelist last night wasn't Yuya. He was using an XYZ deck, one consisting of some archetype called Phantom Knights. I've known Yuya for basically all my life, and not once, have I seen him use that sort of deck, much less XYZ Summon."

"He could have been hiding his abilities all this time!" said Ootomo.

"I did not! I don't even know how to XYZ Summon! Well, until Mitsumi explained it to me a bit earlier today!" defended Yuya.

"Eh...Let's get to that part later," said Mitsumi. "You're right. I don't have proof that he has a second, hidden deck consisting of XYZ Summoning."

"See?"

"Mitsumi!"

"BUT-! You guys don't have proof that he does have a second deck," said Mitsumi, crossing her arms. "Actually, you guys don't have proof that he was the mysterious duelist last night. We don't have proof that he wasn't the one who attacked you guys, but at the same time, you don't have a slick of proof that he actually was the attacker!"

Shingo's three friends knew that Mitsumi was right. That meant that both sides were at a stalemate and they couldn't decide what to do.

"Um..." said Ayu, raising her hand. "I don't think Yuya-niichan is the culprit, but...I did tell him that you and Yuzu-neechan were in trouble, so he ran off first to help you two."

"Ha!" shouted Yamabe, pointing at Ayu. "The little girl testifies! If Yuya Sakaki knew, he would have more reason to help you and Hiiragi-chan!"

 _'Damn! Kinda forgot about that!'_ Mitsumi thought. "Just because Yuya was informed, doesn't mean that he's the culprit!"

"Pfft! You're only saying that because he's your best friend!" said Kakimoto. "Of course you would defend your best friend!"

"I could say the same with you three," Mitsumi countered. "You're only going along with these baseless accusations simply because Sawatari-san told you that it was Yuya who attacked you guys, correct?"

"W-Well...Yeah...But that's not all! We were there last night, too!" reminded Ootomo.

"And so was I!" said Mitsumi. "And don't even say that last night's attacker was Yuya, because there was no way he looked ANYTHING like him!"

"He could have a disguise!"

"That's not enough to pin down Yuya as the culprit. Maybe the attacker did have a disguise, or maybe, in just pure coincidence, he did look like Yuya, but it might have been an entirely different culprit altogether."

"..." The three boys didn't know what to say, as they were only following Shingo's words and were growing more confused with the situation.

"...Just admit it," said Mitsumi, showing an expression of disgust and annoyance towards them. "You're just accusing Yuya because Sawatari holds a grudge against him for winning a duel between them. And it just SO HAPPENS that the attacker from last night just happens to resemble Yuya. I still don't see the resemblance, yet somehow, everyone else thinks the two look alike. I wonder how much money Sawatari pays you to be his lackeys and do everything he tells you to do every single day!"

"Mitsumi!" cried out Yuya, horrified. "That...That sounds...that sounds a bit _dark_ , even for you!"

Mitsumi looked around, and saw everyone with surprised and shocked expressions at her latest set of words. She glanced back at Shingo's three friends and saw they were just as shocked as everyone else at her cold, dark words.

 _'Shit! For a moment, I kinda let out my true self there. Okay, just stay calm, Mitsumi, and regain that annoyingly cute, adorable persona that everyone knows and loves!'_ Mitsumi thought, regaining back her fake, peaceful smile. "I-I'm sorry, everyone. I'm especially sorry towards yo, Kakimoto-san, Ootomo-san, and Yamabe-san. I didn't mean to utter those horrible words. Please, forgive me." She bowed her head towards the three respectfully, though she didn't want to.

"I-It's alright!"

"Y-Yeah! We were just surprised! We know you didn't mean it!"

"Apology accepted! We forgive you, so don't worry about it so much!"

While everyone else was relieved and quickly forgot about what had happened, Sora frowned and continued eating his donut. He knew that just now, THAT was Mitsumi's true face. It was only for an instance, but he saw it, and he was slightly impressed that Mitsumi could quickly convert from a coldhearted person to that sickly, fake sweetheart that everyone recognized as their own Mitsumi. Just how long had she been doing this? She was just as interesting as Pendulum Summoning!

"Still...that doesn't change the fact that Yuya Sakaki may or may not be the culprit!" reminded Yamabe. "I vote that he is!"

Mitsumi resisted the urge to facepalm and simply sighed to get any stress out. "You can't just _vote_ on whether or not someone's the culprit. You need sufficient evidence, and right now, we're both lacking evidence."

"F-Fine! Then, what about Hiiragi-chan? She hasn't said a word this whole time! Let's ask her what she thinks about all this!"

"Oh, right!" Yuya turned to Yuzu. "Hey, say something, Yuzu!"

"...I did see it, but..."

"Don't tell me that you doubt me too, Yuzu!"

Yuzu only looked away, unable to face him. "If something happened to Sawatari-san, of course you'd get caught!" said Kakimoto. "By the cops, I mean!"

"B-By the cops?!" cried out Shuzo. "Yuya! Yuzu! Mitsumi! Explain what exactly happened from the start properly!"

 _'Damnit, Yuzu! If you hadn't stupidly gone after Sawatari, this wouldn't have happened!'_ thought Mitsumi. "O-Okay, then! What happened was-"

"Let me explain it for you," spoke a businesswoman, stepping out from a white limo, accompanied by a tall man in sunglasses.

"You! Are you from LDS?!" gasped Shuzo.

"Yes, I am the current Chairwoman, Himika Akaba. Would you mind if we discussed this more inside?"

"A-Alright, then. Let's go inside, then."

* * *

"Everything they said is the truth," replied Himika once they all settled inside and she explained everything. "The fact that one of our own LDS students, Shingo Sawatari, was attacked, as well as his statement that the culprit is Yuya Sakaki who is currently enrolled as a student at this Duel School..."

Understanding the situation a lot better, Shuzo turned to Yuya. "Is this true, Yuya? Did you really-?"

"I didn't! I would never do something like that!"

"I, the man Gongenzaka, believes in his friend, Yuya!" agreed Gongenzaka. "It's the same for all of you, isn't it?"

"Of course!" shouted Futoshi, Ayu, and Tatsuya.

"Yuya's a funny and kind individual! He'd never hurt a fly!" protested Mitsumi.

As for Yuzu, she had no idea who was right and who was wrong, so instead, she turned to Yuya desperately. "Yuya-! That really wasn't you, was it? You didn't hurt anyone, right?"

Both Yuzu and Yuya stared at each other, searching for any hints of lies, but there found to be none but genuine honesty and hope between them.

Turning to Yuzu, Yuya solemnly told her, "I'm not know what you saw, Yuzu, but I promise you this; I did not attack Sawatari!"

Seeing Yuya's serious expression and trustworthy eyes, Yuzu could tell that he was definitely telling the truth. "I got it. Then, I'll believe in you too, Yuya!"

"Oh my, what strong bonds you all have," praised Himika. "It seems it would be impossible for me to ask you to hand Yuya over. But, we cannot back down at this point now. If rumor spreads that a student from LDS, the World's Number One Duel School, lost in a duel, it would bring forth immense damage to our reputation!"

Shuzo began to protest. "But Yuya didn't-!"

"That is no longer relevant!" shouted Himika with a stern expression as she stood up, enraged. "The problem here is that the symbol of LDS has been dragged through the mud! The only way to clear this disgrace is a duel between Duel Schools!"

Slightly shaking from the Chairwoman's frightening, burning demeanor, Shuzo felt a newfound fear and respect for her. "A-A duel?!"

 _'Terrific! This is just great! I blame both that stupid Sawatari and Yuzu for this! But mostly Sawatari!'_ thought Mitsumi. _'Ugh, this is so stupid, but might as well play along.'_

Calming herself, Himika sat back down. "If your party wins, then we will ignore the case concerning Sawatari. But if we win, we will have you make this Duel School a part of LDS!"

Everyone was shocked by the other winning condition Himika had proposed. "What did you say?!"

"No way!"

Even Gongenzaka was enraged. "Not only do you want to clear your name, but you also want to take over You Show Duel School!"

Instead of normally freaking out like everyone else, Shuzo kept his cool and proceeded to continue the talks. "Chairwoman Akaba, I've heard you've acquired nany other Duel Schools across the world. Am I right in saying that You Show Duel School has become your next target?"

"Yes, that's precisely it."

"Wait, don't tell me-! You set up the entire attack on Sawatari just for this-?!"

"No, that's not the case! Even LDS wouldn't resort to dirty attacks like this! But it is true that I took a hold of the chance give to me. The chance to have LDS have Fusion, Synchro, XYZ, and Pendulum Summoning as the four pillars to support our school. Don't you think that up until now you've been blessed with such an amazing gift, Principal Hiiragi?"

Shuzo looked down, as though contemplating on their current situation. Yes, You Show Duel School wasn't really popular and funds were really difficult to hold for the school, up until recently ever since Yuya had come up with a new summoning method called Pendulum Summoning. If You Show Duel School joined up with LDS, it would be a tremendous comeback for the school.

"Using the skills and abilities of our Leo Corporation to add Pendulum Summoning to our LDS Curriculum would make dueling much more stronger," Himika continued explaining. "There are many duelists who aspire to use Pendulum Summoning just as Yuya has. The same is for your students, yes?"

Tatsuya spoke up. "B-But if you don't have Yuya-niichan's Pendulum cards to Pendulum Summon-"

"That can also be resolved by the power of our Leo Corporation. That's why it's necessary for us to unite."

"Dueling...is not a tool meant for fighting!" said Yuya, gripping onto his pendulum necklace tightly. "But I don't want You Show Duel School or Pendulum Summoning taken away by someone else! You Show Duel School is a Duel School my father created to teach Entertainment Duels! A Duel School that teaches that duels should be something to be enjoyed and viewed by others! I don't want to give it over to someone like you who thinks they can control anyone with their own money and power!"

"Well said, Yuya!" praised Gongenzaka, clasping a hand on Yuya's shoulder. "I, the man Gongenzaka, agree wholeheartedly! In order to defend You Show Duel School, I'll fight alongside you!"

"But you're an outsider, aren't you?" reminded Sora.

"GAH! Well...I..."

"If that's the case, then your presence isn't necessary here any longer," replied Himika coldly to Gongenzaka. "This is going to be a duel between LDS and You Show Duel students _only._ If you're not a student here, then you aren't allowed to participate in this duel!"

"But...I..."

Yuya placed a hand on his friend's arm. "Gongenzaka, it's alright. I appreciate you coming to support us, but we've got this!"

"Yeah!" said Sora. "If it comes down to it, then it'll probably just be me, Yuzu, and Yuya, right? I also want to duel against an LDS duelist as well!"

"This...This is so unfair!" complained Gongenzaka with a red face of frustration.

"It seems that your students' feelings are in line with each others," commented Himika.

"Mine are as well," said Shuzo, determination spoke in his words. "We won't hand over You Show Duel School!"

"Well then, shall we begin?"

* * *

 _Later..._

It didn't take long for Himika to gather up the three duelists she needed for the Duel School battle between LDS and You Show Duel School. The three duelists seemed like average, young teenagers, but considering they were from LDS, they must be extremely strong for Himika to choose them.

"Three against three," the Chairwoman announced. "The first who gets two wins is the victor. Is that good with you?"

"Yeah, that's alright," agreed Shuzo.

"So then, who will go first?"

The first ones to go were Yuya and an XYZ user named Hokuto Shijima, with the result being that Yuya won, which led to You Show Duel School having 1 win while LDS' team had no wins. However, their team won the next round when it was Yuzu versus a Fusion user named Masumi Kotsu, and in Mitsumi's opinion, if Yuzu had stayed focused and wasn't constantly daydreaming about something, there was a slight chance she could have won.

And now, both sides had 1 win and 1 loss, meaning that the third and final duel would determine the fate of You Show Duel School. The third opponent was a Synchro user named Yaiba Todo, who was currently being talked to by his fellow classmates and Chairwoman, whereas Mitsumi and the others were on the whole other side of the room in private conversation themselves.

"Yuya-niichan won, and Yuzu-neechan lost," said Ayu. "What do we do?"

"The score is 1-1," reminded Tatsuya. "If we lose in the next duel, it'll be pretty bad!"

Gongenzaka was feeling frustrated himself. "I, the man Gongenzaka, would avenge Yuzu if I could, but compared to a duel with You Show Duel School on the line and with me being the successor to the Gongenzaka Dojo, I'm an outsider! Plus, I'm not even allowed to participate!" He turned to Sora, who was sitting down with a bored expression on his face as he was licking a lollipop. "Listen up, Sora! This is the moment of truth! You have to win!"

"Hmm...You know, I'm not really a fan of such stifling things," said Sora. "I dunno why, but I'm getting the feeling I'm not a good matchup with that guy."

"Wha-?! But you have to participate! You're a student of You Show Duel School! It's your honorary duty to do so!"

"Mmm...Why not have Mitsumi-chan do it, then? She's been a student here way longer than I have."

"What?!" exclaimed Mitsumi, pointing to herself. "How?!"

"Do I really have to spell it out?" sighed Sora. "Go. Duel. That. LDS guy. Simple."

"And what makes you think I actually have a chance against him?"

"Because you're the only other available candidate to duel that guy. Seriously, I don't think Ayu, Tatsuya, and Futoshi are qualified for this. Plus, you have your cute charms! You can easily seduce that guy with your cuteness and win the duel! Just say that you'll go out with him on a date if he lets you win or something."

"Sora! It is dishonorable to use bribery to win a duel!" cried out Gongenzaka.

"Yeah, and besides, I don't think that'll work," said Yuya.

"But guys...You know how anxious I get under pressure!" said Mitsumi.

"Mitsumi, you're literally the only other candidate for this! You'll do fine! I'm sure you'll win!"

"Guys, I really don't think that's possible-!"

"You'll be fine!" assured Yuya.

"But...but why don't you go yourself, Yuya? You already won against one of them, I'm sure you can-"

"No, that wouldn't work," said Gongenzaka. "The enemy has already seen Yuya's tricks, so the chances of him winning the next duel are very slim."

"Come to think of it," said Sora. "Why are you trying so hard to avoid dueling, Mitsumi-chan? This is your dueling school on the line, after all. Shouldn't you feel motivated to win? Or...are you... _perhaps hiding something?"_

"I have no idea what you're talking about," spoke Mitsumi quickly. "Look, I just...I don't think I'm the most qualified person for this. Sora, you've won against me so many times! Clearly, that means you're stronger than-"

"Mitsumi-chan, can I ask for your ear for a sec?" Sora signaled her forward with his finger.

"Hmm? S-Sure..." Mitsumi knelt down close to Sora, brushing aside some hair away from her ear as she leaned close to hear what Sora had to say.

And she was not expecting this.

"I dunno why you're hiding your true potential, but if you don't want your friends to resent you, I suggest you actually try and win."

"W-What?" For a brief moment, fear struck Mitsumi, but it wasn't just Sora's words, but his unnatural character. He was supposedly the cheerful, candy-loving boy they all knew, but right now, he was acting completely different.

"Ah, ah, ah! No talking; just listening. All this time, I've been patient with you, and while you may be able to fool the others, it'll take more than that ditzy act of yours to fool someone as sharp as me. This whole duel is now going to fall down to your hands, because even if you somehow convince me to duel, I'll just easily throw the match, and I wouldn't even care what happens to this school."

"Y-you wouldn't-"

"Ah, I said no talking. Besides, you can be certain that I'll lose on purpose if you force me to duel. You and I both know the three other kids aren't strong enough, and Gong-chan isn't allowed to duel, so this just leaves you, and you only. Don't worry, I'll still be rooting you on. But, if you lose on purpose, then that just means your whole school will be a part of LDS, and if that happens, your friends will resent you, and I can tell that you're the type who doesn't want that to happen."

"..."

"It's simple. Just try and win, alright? I'm sure right now, you have a ton of questions for me, but we can get to that later. What do you say? Let me duel and lose the school, or duel yourself and have a chance of winning back your school?"

"...Ok."

"That's the spirit! Now, let's pretend everything's back to normal in three...two...one..."

Mitsumi stood back up straight, clenching her fists and silently gritting her teeth. _'Who the hell does this kid think he is, threatening me?! No, I...I can't! I can't lose my cool now! I have to stay focus!'_ she thought, relaxing her muscles.

"Mitsumi? Are you okay?" asked Yuya.

"...I'll do it."

"Huh?"

"Sora's not going to duel. I'll duel in his place. He gave me some...encouragement, so I..." Mitsumi turned around and smiled. "I'll do my best!"

Yuya nodded and smiled. "We're counting on you, Mitsumi! I know you don't have the best win record, but I'm sure this time, you'll do great!"

"Y-Yeah!" Mitsumi bypassed Yuya and approached her opponent, Yaiba Todo; slightly waving at him. "H-Hello!"

Unamused, Yaiba impatiently asked, "Hey, how long were you going to make me wait? Or were you thinking of forfeiting after getting all frightened up?"

Mitsumi shook her head. "N-No! Nothing like that! I'm sorry, I just needed a bit of motivation, that's all! Todo-san, my name is Mitsumi Nazuno! I'm going to be your opponent, so, it's nice to meet you! I hope we have a good duel!"

"Feh!" Tapping his wooden katana on his shoulder, Yaiba told her, "Don't think that just because you're a girl, I'll go easy on you! If you think I'm the same as those goody-two shoes your friends fought, then you're going to find yourself in a world of hurt! Because, unlike those guys, I'm actually really strong!"

"Goody two-shoes...? Do you mean Shijima-san and Kotsu-san?"

"Yeah, definitely them!"

Having heard his classmate, Hokuto quickly grew irritated. "Yaiba, that guy-! He's talking about us as if we're weak!"

Masumi smugly glanced at Hokuto, crossing her arms. "Sure it's annoying, but since you lost, you can't blame him, can you?"

Freezing up and turning white, Hokuto had no rebuttal to Masumi's cruel, but truthful words as he retreated to the corner of the room in shame.

Once both Yaiba and Mitsumi entered into the dueling courtyard, Shuzo activated one of the optional Action Fields that would be seemingly appropriate for the third and final duel; Sword's Cemetery. It was an entire wasteland filled with dark, clouded skies, swords buried deep in the ground, and no signs of life elsewhere.

 **"Mitsumi!"** called out Shuzo from the operating booth. **"Use this sword graveyard to bury your opponent's blade!"**

"I feel like this is a complete disadvantage for me!" called back Mitsumi.

 **"What are you talking about?"**

 _'That idiot probably chose this because he saw that Todo-san had a wooden sword! This is probably Todo's home field advantage just like it was with Shijima with his starry sky Action Field,'_ thought Mitsumi. "Never mind!"

"Hiiragi-san, if we win this match, Yuya Sakaki will become part of LDS. Do you agree with those conditions?" questioned Himika.

 **"But, if we win, you aren't allowed to meddle with Yuya again!"** reminded Shuzo.

As everyone began chanting the usual incantation to begin the Action Duel, Mitsumi instead focused on her opponent and the deck that she carried with her. She hadn't planned on using the full strength of her Ritual deck, but it seemed that she'll have to if she wants to win. Sora was right; she had to win because she didn't want to let down her friends. They're all counting on her, and besides, if they mention any changes in her deck, she could always lie and say that she's recently changed tactics or something.

Glancing back at the confident-looking Yaiba, Mitsumi could tell this wasn't going to be an easy duel. It's been a while since she had to go all-out, but she still kept her body in good physical shape and her sharpened mind throughout these years ever since quitting in Pro Duelist Leagues. One similarity between her and Yaiba was that their decks relied on Levels, since his was clearly a Synchro deck, and hers was a Ritual deck. She didn't know what sort of Synchro deck he uses, but she'll find out in the duel.

"Action...!" everyone else in the background shouted; the end of the incantation drawing near.

"DUEL!" both Mitsumi and Yaiba finished, beginning the duel.

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Yaiba - 4000 LP**

"I'll go first!" said Mitsumi. "I set a Monster and set a card facedown before ending my turn!"

"That's all? I would have expected a lot more!" called out Yaiba.

 _'That's just a tacky move just to get me agitated and lower my guard. That won't work on me,'_ Mitsumi thought.

"My turn, draw! From my hand, I summon XX-Saber Boggart Knight!"

XX-Saber Boggart Knight - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior) - LV4 - (1900/1000)

"I now activate his effect! When this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower X-Saber Monster from my hand! I Special Summon the Tuner Monster, XX-Saber Fulhelmknight!"

XX-Saber Fulhelmknight - (EARTH/Warrior/Tuner) - LV3 - (1300/1000)

 _'A Level 4 and Level 3 Monster...He's definitely going to Synchro Summon a Level 7 Monster!'_ Mitsumi thought.

"I bet you're thinking, 'He's going to Synchro Summon now, right?'" taunted Yaiba. "Well, you're half-right. I am going to Synchro Summon, but just not right now! First, I activate the effect of XX-Saber Faultroll! He can only be Special Summoned from my hand if there are two or more XX-Saber Monsters on my field!"

XX-Saber Faultroll - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV6 - (2400/1000)

"No way! He's got three Monsters on his field now!" cried out Tatsuya.

"And Mitsumi-neechan's only got one!" said Ayu.

"If you're surprised now, wait until you get a hold of this!" Yaiba continued. "I tune my Level 3 Fulhelmknight with my Level 4 Boggart Knight! Wielder of crossed blsades of light! Trample over this mountain of corpses! Synchro Summon! Come forth, X-Saber Souza!"

X-Saber Souza - (EARTH/Warrior/Synchro) - LV7 - (2500/1600)

"I'm not done yet! Now, I activate X-Saber Faultroll's effect! Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower X-Saber Monster from my Graveyard! And I choose XX-Saber Fulhelmknight!"

XX-Saber Fulhelmknight - (EARTH/Warrior/Tuner) - LV3 - (1300/1000)

 _'Another Synchro Monster? Guess he must have waited this long to pull another one out,'_ thought Mitsumi.

"Now, I tune my Level 3 Fulhelmknight with my Level 6 Faultroll! Let your silver armor shine! Crush the hope of all who oppose you! Synchro Summon! Come forth, XX-Saber Gottoms!"

XX-Saber Gottoms - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Synchro) - LV9 - (3100/2600)

"No way! _Two?!"_ exclaimed Yuya. "Mitsumi only has one defense! She can't avoid a direct attack once her set Monster's destroyed!"

"Yuya!" scolded Gongenzaka. "Have some more faith in Mitsumi! I can tell from the look in her eyes that something's up, and quite differently this time!"

"So? Scared speechless? Can't think up of some rebuttal?" questioned Yaiba, smirking.

"..." Mitsumi didn't answer, instead only focusing.

"Tch! Staying quiet, huh? Whatever!" scoffed Yaiba. "Battle! I attack your facedown Monster with Souza!"

Souza leapt up into the air and swung his swords, creating an X-shaped blast of light that penetrated through Mitsumi's defenses and destroyed her only defensive Monster, revealed to be Gishki Ariel.

Gishki Ariel - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

"Gishki Ariel's Flip effect activates!" shouted Mitsumi. "I get to add a Gishki Monster from my deck to my hand!"

"Doesn't matter now! Now, I use Gottoms to attack you directly!" ordered Yaiba.

Gottoms aimed his blade at Mitsumi and fired a laser from the tip of it. Just before the laser blast could reach her, a barrier of bubbles appeared and blocked off the laser blast, protecting Mitsumi.

"What?!"

"...I activated my Continuous Trap, Bubble Bringer," explained Mitsumi. "Because of this Trap, Level 4 or higher Monsters can't attack directly, so I'm safe."

"Tch! So you took advantage of my Synchro Monsters' high levels for your Trap! Not bad!" praised Yaiba. "Still, defense alone isn't going to help you win this duel! I end my turn after I set one card facedown!"

"Whew! Mitsumi's safe! That's a big relief!" sighed Yuzu.

"She's still not safe, though," reminded Gongenzaka. "That Trap of hers has saved her some time, but it won't be long until her opponent tears down that card of hers."

"Why? If she doesn't summon any Monsters, doesn't that mean she's safe?" wondered Tatsuya.

"No, eventually, Yaiba's going to destroy that Trap of hers somehow," said Yuya. "I hope she summons a Monster strong enough to defeat those two big-boss Monsters!"

"My turn, draw!" said Mitsumi. "I activate the Continuous Spell, Water Hazard! Now, once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower WATER Monster from my hand, but only if I don't have any Monsters on my field! I Special Summon Gishki Avance from my hand!"

Gishki Avance - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1500/800)

"I activate his effect. Once per turn, I can choose a Gishki Monster from my deck and place it on top of my deck! And now, I Normal Summon Gishki Chain from my hand!"

Gishki Chain - (WATER/Sea Serpent) - LV4 - (1800/1000)

"When Gishki Chain is Normal Summoned, I get to look at the top 3 cards of my deck, and if one of them is a Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell, I can reveal one of them and add it to my hand, and then I return the others back in the order of my choice!" After Mitsumi drew her three cards and glanced at them, she revealed Gishki Aquamirror, a Ritual Spell, from her hand, before returning the other two cards back into her deck.

"Heh, so you're a Ritual user, huh? Then this'll be both boring and easier than I imagined!" said Yaiba confidently.

"Hmm?" Mitsumi tilted her head in confusion, wondering what he was talking about.

"It seems you're confused, so I'll explain! Ritual Summoning...is nothing but a joke! The conditions are weak and very difficult, and they take up lots of space in the Main Deck, so nobody bothers with Ritual Summoning anymore!"

"Hey! Don't insult Mitsumi-neechan!" called out Futoshi.

"Yeah! Insulting her dueling is like insulting her!" agreed Ayu.

"But you have to admit, he is right," said Sora. "Ritual Summoning has so many weaknesses. In fact, other than Mitsumi, I haven't seen anyone else Ritual Summon."

"But LDS specializes in all sorts of Summoning, so that must include Ritual Summoning, right?" wondered Yuzu.

"It is true that we do have a Ritual Summoning class," admitted Himika.

"Wait, seriously?" wondered Hokuto. "LDS has a class for that weak-ass summoning?"

"LDS has all sorts of summoning classes," Himika explained. "Tribute Summoning class, Set Summoning, and even Ritual Summoning. However, these basic classes are only sub-classes and are not required. You don't need to worry so much about Ritual Summoning."

"Damn, you really picked the short straw here!" said Yaiba to Mitsumi. "You're obviously the weakest of your friends if you chose Ritual Summoning as part of your deck! The weakest of your group vs the strongest of my group; me! This'll be so easy, I can do this duel in my sleep! And-"

"Hey, moron," called out Masumi. "While you were talking, you haven't noticed anything?"

"Huh?"

"You were so busy monologuing, you failed to noticed your opponent walking around and looking for an Action Card!"

"What?!" Yaiba turned back to Mitsumi, who was indeed walking around before she stopped and picked up what appears to be an Action Card. "Oh, come on!"

"...Oh. Are you finished?" Mitsumi asked.

"Were you ignoring me this whole time?!"

Mitsumi shook her head. "Oh, no. I was listening the whole time, and I decided to use this time to try and find an Action Card. Did you finished talking now?"

"...Just...Just finish your turn!"

"Okay. I activate the Ritual Spell, Gishki Aquamirror. I sacrifice Gishki Chain, Gishki Avance, and the Gishki Reliever from my hand in order to Ritual Summon Gishki Zielgigas!"

Gishiki Zielgigas - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV10 - (3200/0)

"Crap! That guy's way stronger than my Gottoms!" cried out Yaiba before making a run for it. "Gotta find an Action Ca-"

Right before he could track one down, he was stopped in his tracks by Gishki Zielgigas, who was staring down at him menacingly.

"Gishki Zielgigas, take down his XX-Saber Gottoms," ordered Mitsumi.

Wasting no time, Gishki Zielgigas shot four blasts of water from his four palms and took down XX-Saber Gottoms in mere seconds. Once he finished his task, he leapt up and landed near his owner, having done his duty.

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **Yaiba - 3900 LP**

 _'As much as I want to use Zielgigas' ability, I already checked the top two cards on my deck. They were definitely not Gishki Monsters, so it'd be a huge waste of time and my Life Points to activate his effect,'_ thought Mitsumi. "I end my turn after throwing down a facedown."

"Heh, not bad! Guess I underestimated you!" said Yaiba. "That won't happen a second time, though! My draw! I activate my Trap, At One With the Sword! This can only be activated if the only Monster I have left on the field is one X-Saber Monster! Now, I get to equip this card to that Monster and he gains 800 Attack Points! I equip this card to my X-Saber Souza!"

X-Saber Souza - (EARTH/Warrior/Synchro) - LV7 - (3300/1600)

"No! Now he's the one with the stronger Monster!" cried out Yuzu.

 _'Hmm...I'm a bit weary of that facedown card of hers. Right now, I don't have the necessary requirements to Synchro Summon Hyunlei, so I'll have to go with this!'_ thought Yaiba. "I summon from my hand, the Tuner Monster, X-Saber Palomuro!"

X-Saber Palomuro - (EARTH/Reptile/Tuner) - LV1 - (200/300)

"Is he going to Synchro Summon again?" wondered Gongenzaka.

"No, in fact, like I said earlier, I won't underestimate her tricks!" said Yaiba. "I now activate Souza's effect! By Tributing one of my other X-Saber Monsters, I can choose one of the two effects Souza has until the end of this turn! I sacrifice Palomuro in order for Souza to gain this effect! Now he can't be destroyed by Trap effects!"

 _'He must have been worried about my facedown. Well, it is a trap, just not for him, though,'_ thought Mitsumi.

"Now, I attack! Souza, destroy her Monster!"

Souza charged forward and slashed Zielgigas in half, causing a huge gust of wind to burst towards Mitsumi's direction as her Life Points were deducted.

 **Mitsumi - 3900 LP**

 **Yaiba - 3900 LP**

"The effect of At One With the Sword now activates! Because the Monster equipped with this Trap destroyed your Monster, I can draw one card!"

"Then, I activate my Trap card," said Mitsumi. "Torrential Reborn! When a face-up WATER Monster is destroyed in battle and/or card effect and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon the Monsters destroyed at that time! Come back, Gishki Zielgigas!"

Gishiki Zielgigas - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV10 - (3200/0)

"How troublesome-! Just when I got rid of it!" grumbled Yaiba. "Well, it won't matter because my Monster's still-"

"And, for each Monster that was Special Summoned, you receive 500 Points of Damage."

 **Mitsumi - 3900 LP**

 **Yaiba - 3400 LP**

"Mitsumi's playing style has completely changed!" said Yuya. "Alright!"

"I guess all of that practice over the years has helped improved her this much," said Yuzu. "I feel kinda bad for always criticizing and yelling at her for losing all those times."

"Don't. Failures can help someone seek their losses and improve," replied Gongenzaka proudly.

 _'Or, she's been hiding her strength this entire time and chose now of all times to get serious,'_ thought Sora. _'Still, she's getting a bit more interesting, so might as well watch some more.'_

"I set a card and end my turn!" finished Yaiba.

"I draw!" said Mitsumi. _'The Action Card I have doesn't increase my Monster's strength, so I can't use it. Zielgigas is a good card in terms of offense, but right now, I can't use him to attack. I'll have to play on defense for now.'_ "I activate the Spell, Big Wave Small Wave! All face-up WATER Monsters I control are destroyed, and then I get to Special Summon WATER Monsters from my hand up to the number of Monsters destroyed by this effect! So, Zielgigas is destroyed, but in his place, I Special Summon Gishki Vanity!"

Gishki Vanity - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (1000/800)

"You traded...your most strongest Monster for that?" questioned Yaiba.

"What an amateur move!" commented Hokuto. "I could have done way better than that!"

"What's she thinking?" wondered Yuzu.

"I now Normal Summon Gishki Reliever from my hand!" said Mitsumi.

Gishki Reliever - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (500/800)

"Alright, the summoning requirements are met. I Overlay my two Level 2 Monsters and build the Overlay Network!"

"What?!" everyone cried out as the dark and light spiral colors merged together into one portal and Mitsumi's Reliever and Vanity disappeared into the portal.

"XYZ Summon!" Mitsumi shouted. "Appear, in Defense Mode! Rank 2! Cat Shark!"

Cat Shark - (WATER/Beast/XYZ) - Rank 2 - (500/500)

"Wow, what a weakling! Sacrificing her big triumph card for that weak Ranked Monster!" commented Hokuto.

"Huh, I have to admit, I would have never imagined you having an XYZ Monster in your Ritual Summoning deck. You seem to surprise me every time," admitted Yaiba. "But if you think that little cat monster of yours can defeat my Synchro Monsters, you've got another thing coming!"

"I end my turn," said Mitsumi.

"My turn, draw!" said Yaiba. "I activate my Trap, Gottoms' Emergency Call! If a face-up X-Saber Monster is on the field, I can target 2 X-Saber Monsters from my Graveyard and then Special Summon them onto the field! I Special Summon XX-Saber Gottoms and XX-Saber Fulhelmknight!"

XX-Saber Gottoms - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Synchro) - LV9 - (3100/2600)

XX-Saber Fulhelmknight - (EARTH/Warrior/Tuner) - LV3 - (1300/1000)

"Now, from my hand, I summon XX-Saber Emmersblade!"

XX-Saber Emmersblade - (EARTH/Insect) - LV3 - (1300/800)

"He's got four Monsters on his field now!" cried out Tatsuya.

"Not another Synchro Monster!" gasped Ayu.

"Now, I tune my Level 3 Fulhelmknight with my Level 3 Emmersblade! Clothed in your red mantle, take down your foes with your dancing blade! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 6! XX-Saber Hyunlei!"

XX-Saber Hyunlei - (EARTH/Warrior/Synchro) - LV6 - (2300/1300)

"Hyunlei's effect now activates! When she's Synchro Summoned, I can select and destroy up to three Spells/Traps on your field!"

After Yaiba declared the effect, Hyunlei threw two daggers at Mitsumi's only two spells/Traps, Bubble Bringer and Water Hazard, leaving only Cat Shark as her only remaining defense left on her field.

"Oh, no! Without Bubble Bringer's effect, if her Monster gets destroyed, Mitsumi won't have anything to defend herself against a direct attack!" shouted Yuya.

"That can't be-!" gasped Yuzu.

"Ha! With that annoying Bubble Bringer out of the way, once I take care of your Cat Shark, it's game, set, and match for me!" said Yaiba cockily. "Battle! Hyunlei, destroy her Cat Shark!"

Hyunlei took out another dagger from her arsenal and threw it at Cat Shark, only for a water barrier to deflect the dagger and land deeply into the ground, joining with the rest of the swords in the graveyard-like Action Field.

"What?!"

"Do you know why I went through all of the trouble of summoning Cat Shark?" spoke Mitsumi, walking up behind Cat Shark and ruffling his fur gently. "It's because of his special ability. When he has an XYZ Material that was originally WATER, he can't be destroyed by battle."

"So you knew-! You knew that one of my Monsters could have taken out your Ritual Monster in the next turn, and that following up afterwards, I could have destroyed you with direct attacks and end this duel! Isn't that right?"

"..."

"To think you predicted that far ahead-! I can't do anything else right now, so I guess I'll end my turn!"

"My turn, draw!" Mitsumi said. "I activate the Spell, Salvage! Now, I target 2 WATER Monsters from my Graveyard and add them to my hand! But they have to have 1500 or less Attack Points as well! ...I set a Monster facedown and end my turn!"

"My turn!" said Yaiba. _'Shit! What do I do? I can't attack her Cat Shark, since there's no point if it's indestructible, and I have no idea what her mystery Monster is! Might as well strengthen my forces for the time being, then!'_

"I summon the Tuner Monster, X-Saber Airbellum!"

X-Saber Airbellum - (EARTH/Beast/Tuner) - LV3 - (1600/200)

"I tune Level 3 Airbellum with my Level 6 Hyunlei! Synchro Summon! Come forth, XX-Saber Gottoms!"

XX-Saber Gottoms - (EARTH/Beast-Warrior/Synchro) - LV9 - (3100/2600) X2

"Another Gottoms showed up!" said Yuya. "He's got three Monsters with very high Attack Points!"

"Calm down, Yuya," assured Gongenzaka. "Mitsumi is still safe so long as she has Cat Shark on her field. Remember, as long as Cat Shark has that Overlay effect, Yaiba Todo can't touch her."

"Maybe so, but I can still attack her other Monster!" declared Yaiba. "X-Saber Souza! Destroy her set Monster!"

X-Saber Souza lifted up his sword and brought it down, unleashing a laser slash that destroyed Mitsumi's set Monster, which revealed to be Gishki Ariel.

Gishki Ariel - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

"Ariel's Flip effect now activates!" said Mitsumi. "I'm allowed to add a Gishki Monster from my deck to my hand!"

"Because of the Equip Trap that's equipped onto Souza, whenever he destroyed a Monster, I get to draw a card!" reminded Yaiba. "Now I end my turn!"

"Then, it's my turn again. I draw!"

"This duel could go either way," commented Gongenzaka, crossing his arms.

"What do you mean?" Futoshi asked, who was just as curious as Ayu and Tatsuya.

"It's clear that Yaiba has very powerful Monsters on his field, but right now, he currently cannot bypass Mitsumi's defenses. On the other hand, Mitsumi doesn't have any strong Monsters and is currently building up her strength. Either Yaiba finds a way to destroy Mitsumi's defenses again like he did earlier, or Mitsumi starts summoning more stronger Monster to counter Yaiba's."

"Hmm...Well, whatever the case is, I'm still rooting for Mitsumi!" replied Yuya. "I know she can do this!"

"Yeah!" agreed Yuzu.

Mitsumi examined the cards in her hand before making her move. "Alright, I discard Gishki Shadow from my hand in order to add a Gishki Ritual Spell card from my deck to my hand."

"Ritual Summoning again?" asked Yaiba. "No matter how much you Ritual Summon, it won't stand up-"

"And then, I activate the effect of Gishki Aquamirror from my Graveyard. I shuffle that card from my Graveyard to my deck to target a Gishki Ritual Monster from my Graveyard and add it to my hand. I choose Gishki Zielgigas!"

Yaiba placed his hands on his hips. "Hey! Don't interrupt me!"

Mitsumi tilted her head. "Oh, I'm sorry. But technically, you interrupted me during my turn, as I haven't finished it. So, please let me finish and don't say any unnecessary or useless words of advice."

"Unnecessary...?! Useless?!" exclaimed Yaiba, baring his sharp teeth in anger.

"That...seemed a little uncalled for," admitted Gongenzaka, surprised. "And quite unlike Mitsumi to say that."

"The heat of the duel must be getting to her," replied Sora nonchalantly. "People say things they don't really mean. Mitsumi-chan must be doing the same."

"Y-Yes, you're probably right..."

"Then, I use Gishki Vision's effect from my hand and use his effect as the full requirement to Ritual Summon 1 Ritual WATER Attribute Monster. I now activate Gishki Aquamirror and use Gishki Vision as the full sacrifice in order to Ritual Summon Gishki Zielgigas!"

Gishiki Zielgigas - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV10 - (3200/0)

"That was a skillful move!" admitted Yuzu. "Taking advantage of her already used up Ritual Spell!"

"I know, right?" agreed Yuya.

"Not to worry!" said Yaiba confidently. "As long as I still have Souza as the biggest, strongest Mons-"

"I Normal Summon Gishki Beast from my hand," said Mitsumi.

Gishki Beast - (WATER/Beast) - LV4 - (1500/1300)

"And when he's Normal Summoned-"

"Jeez! Stop interrupting me!" complained Yaiba.

"Technically, you're the one who interrupted her this time," spoke out Masumi from the sidelines.

Mitsumi cleared her throat. "As I was saying, when Gishki Beast is Normal Summoned, I can target a Level 4 or lower Gishki Monster in my Graveyard and then Special Summon that Monster in face-up Defense Mode. I Special Summon Gishki Avance from the Graveyard."

Gishki Avance - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1500/800)

"I then activate Gishki Avance's effect. Once per turn, I can choose a Gishki Monster from my deck and add it to the top. And now, once more, I build the Overlay Network!"

"Another XYZ Summon?!" shouted Yaiba as he watched a new entity emerge from the swirling colors of darkness and light.

"XYZ Summon! Come out, Evigishki Merrowgeist!"

Evigishki Merrowgeist - (WATER/Aqua/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2100/1600)

"Heh, not really that tough!" spoke Yaiba confidently. "Compared to my other Monster, she-And you're just going to ignore me, huh?"

Mitsumi nodded. "I activate the effect of Gishki Zielgigas on the field! Once per turn, I pay 1000 Life Points in order to draw 1 card and reveal it! If the drawn card is a Gishki Monster, then I get to shuffle 1 card from the field into the deck!"

"Oh! So that's part of why she summoned Gishki Avance!" said Yuzu. "She took advantage of that card before using him as an XYZ Summon!"

"What do you mean, Yuzu-neechan?" wondered Ayu.

"Okay, so Gishki Avance's ability was to choose a single Gishki Monster and add it to the top of her deck, right? Well, it didn't really matter what sort of Monster she chose so long as it was a Gishki Monster! And now that she activated Zielgigas' effect, it's absolutely guaranteed that the card she's drawn will be the Gishki Monster she chose earlier!"

"So, what does that mean?" asked Futoshi.

Yuya answered his question. "That means Mitsumi will be able to shuffle a card from the field into the deck, and she'll be able to take away one of Yaiba's Monsters in the process, meaning one less threat on the field!"

 **Mitsumi - 2900 LP**

 **Yaiba - 3400 LP**

Mitsumi drew her card as predicted and revealed it to be Gishki Emilia, a Gishki Monster card. Adding Gishki Emilia to her hand, Mitsumi continued, "And now, I shuffle X-Saber Souza from the field back into your deck, or rather, your Extra Deck."

"Damnit!" cursed Yaiba as his most strongest Monster on the field vanished.

"I now activate the effect of Cat Shark. Once per turn, during either of our turns, by detaching 1 Overlay Unit, I can target 1 Rank 4 or lower XYZ Monster I control and double their original Attack and Defense Points until the end of this turn. I target Evigishki Merrowgeist!"

Evigishki Merrowgeist - (WATER/Aqua/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (4200/3200)

"What?!" shouted Yaiba.

"Awesome! Mitsumi can win this!" cheered Yuya.

Yaiba started running around the Action Field the moment that he realized that Mitsumi was all set to begin her counterattack. Mitsumi realized Yaiba's intent on grabbing an Action Card to save himself and quickly reverted to the Battle Phase.

"Battle! Gishki Zielgigas! Destroy the first XX-Saber Gottoms!"

Yaiba spotted an Action Card laying against the hilt of one of the many buried swords in the Action Field, grabbed it, took a glance at it, and activated it. "I activate the Action Card, Extreme Sword! I target the XX-Saber Gottoms that you're targeting and now he'll gain 1000 Attack Points for the remainder of the Battle Phase!"

It was now time for Mitsumi's countermeasure against the Action Card with her own Action Card she picked up earlier. "Action Card, Break Sword! I target 1 Monster, and this card negates any Attack Point boost towards that Monster!"

"Ah, come o-AAAAAH!" screamed Yaiba, being blown back by the explosion coming from the destruction of his former Saber Gottoms.

 **Mitsumi - 2900 LP**

 **Yaiba - 3300 LP**

"Evigishki Merrowgeist! Destroy his other Gottoms!" ordered Mitsumi.

Evigishki Merrowgeist raised her staff-like weapon and sent a torrent of water crashing towards XX-Saber Gottoms, destroying it.

 **Mitsumi - 2900 LP**

 **Yaiba - 2200 LP**

"Two of Yaiba's Monsters were wiped out instantly, and his strongest ones to boot!" cried out Hokuto. "Damnit, Yaiba! What are you doing?! Fight back!"

Mitsumi let out a sigh of breath. "I end my turn. At this moment, Evigishki Merrowgeist's Attack and Defense Points return to normal."

Evigishki Merrowgeist - (WATER/Aqua/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2100/1600)

"My turn, draw!" shouted Yaiba. _'I'm running out of options here! I'm trying to think of summoning more, new Synchro Monsters, but even if that's the case, I can't add boost-ups to their Attack Points! The only Synchro Monster I have left is Hyunlei, but she's not strong enough to take on any of her Monsters! It's pointless to take out Cat Shark so long as it still has an Overlay Unit, and going after Merrowgeist is suicide if she activates that Cat Shark's effect again! I...I guess I have no choice! I hate this sort of strategy, but if I'm going down, I'm taking her down with me!'_

"I set a card and end my turn!"

 _'I'm guessing his set card is dangerous,'_ thought Mitsumi. _'I have to find a way to get rid of it fast!'_ "My turn! I draw-!"

"And now I activate my facedown card!" declared Yaiba. "Ring of Destruction!"

"What?! Shit!" Mitsumi cursed, rushing forward the moment the Trap card was revealed.

"I target your Zielgigas to destroy him! Then, the both of us takes damage!"

"Yaiba! What the hell are you thinking?!" called out Masumi.

"Hey, I ran out of options! Besides, if I'm going down, then I want to try and take her do-"

"Get down!" yelled Mitsumi, tackling Yaiba to the ground just as the Ring of Destruction trap affected her Ritual Monster and destroyed him, rigging a large explosion that affected the entire Action Field.

 **Mitsumi - 0 LP**

 **Yaiba - 0 LP**

 **Winner: DRAW**

The entire Action Field vanished the moment the results deemed the entire duel as a draw. Draws happened rarely and only in certain situations, such as if both players agreed to surrender, or, in this case, both players lost their Life Points at the same time.

Because of the explosion triggered by Ring of Destruction, Yaiba and Mitsumi were flung aside. Yaiba had regained consciousness and felt something heavy on top of him. Grunting, he sat up and felt the heavy weight pulling away from him before looking down.

Laying facedown, unconscious, and badly wounded was his opponent, Mitsumi. She was still alive of course, as she was breathing heavily in and out, but her injuries were not taken lightly due to her shielding Yaiba with her body from the explosion he had triggered.

Yaiba himself was very lightly injured, but not as much as Mitsumi. "Did she...did she throw herself towards me to save me from the explosion?"

"Mitsumi!" cried out Yuya, rushing to his friend's aid. "Are you okay?! Hold on!"

Mitsumi slowly started to wake up, and found herself in Yuya's arms as she was being shaken awake. "Yuya...? Ah...I'm sorry...I lost, didn't I...? Once again, I-"

Yuya shook his head. "No, in fact, you managed to get us a draw! It was thanks to your hard efforts and training that allowed us to make it this far! You did a fantastic job!"

"...Then...you won't throw me away...? You won't stop...being my friend?"

"What? What are you saying, Mitsumi? You'll always be my best friend! Just because you didn't get a win doesn't mean I won't stop being your friend!" assured Yuya. "I think the explosion must have messed with your head or something. Come on, I'll help you up."

Yaiba grunted as he stood up before helping Yuya lift up Mitsumi; the two boys now carrying Mitsumi by wrapping her arms around their shoulders. "Here, let me help. It's...kinda my fault she ended up this way, anyways. This is the least I can do."

Mitsumi used a bit of her remaining strength to look up at Yaiba. "Hey...you okay...? Sorry for startling you with my tackl-"

"Nah, it's cool. I didn't expect you to try and shield me, so thanks. I mean it."

Watching the three of them walk away from the Action Field, Shuzo spoke in the intercom. **"The results of the Best of Three is one win, one loss, and one draw. Chairwoman Akaba, you said you would take this Duel School if you won at least 2 out of three duels. But instead, the result was a draw. I kindly ask you to leave.** "

"...What do you think you're saying?" questioned Himika. "This was a duel to settle everything! That can be no draws!"

 **"Yes, well...the duel did end in a draw, though!"**

"A tie-breaker, then! We will duel with our two duelists that have one victory! That's fine with you, isn't it?"

 **"Y-You can't just-!"**

"Wait. I'll finish this."

Stepping out from the shadows, a young man with red glasses and silver hair removed his hoodie and faced Yuya, who had helped placed Mitsumi down against the wall to rest before putting on his googles and facing the man fated to be his rival.

* * *

 **Whew! I did the best I could with this! Hope it was good enough! I'm actually not sure whether or not I should do the Reiji duel or even the Shuzo duel, so I'll let you guys decide! Read and review!**


	11. The Show Must Go On

**And we're back with some more of this Arc V fanfic! Like I mentioned earlier, there will be several changes to the story compared to the anime, and this chapter's no exception! Now, let's get started!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

The room grew silent as both Yuya and the silver-haired newcomer stared at one another. It seemed like hours that they seemed in silent conflict with one another, when in reality, it had only been mere seconds.

Ayu was the first to notice something amiss with Yuya. "He's wearing his goggles?"

"What's wrong with Yuya nii-chan?" wondered Tatsuya.

Knowing Yuya for a long time, Mitsumi also knew full well the meaning behind Yuya wearing his goggles. It was a sort of a habit Yuya adopted; whenever he got upset or embarrassed or on the verge of tears, he normally would put on his goggles so nobody could see his expression. After all, he was taught to be an Entertainment Duelist, and to always wear a smile on his face.

Wearing a frown or even showing tears is not the sign of an Entertainment Duelist.

 _'...Maybe I should have tried a bit harder back in my last duel,'_ thought Mitsumi, winching in pain from her wounds. _'It's a miracle I can still move even after taking an explosion from shielding that sword guy. Well, at least I have an excuse to avoid dueling for a while.'_

Yuya raised his head; his determination reflecting through the eyes within his goggles. "This is the true final match. I'll definitely win and protect our Duel School and the dueling my Dad left us!"

"That's right! Yuya-niichan's going to win for us!" cheered Tatsuya.

"And that's 'cause we've got Pendulum Summoning on our side!" commented Futoshi.

"That's right! Pendulums won't lose!" spoke Ayu confidently.

 _'Idiots! You can't continue to rely on one trick and expect it to work every time!'_ thought Ignis, hiding her annoyance behind a smile and a nod.

"Yeah!" said Tatsuya. "The Duel School-"

"I wonder about that," Himika spoke up. "You kids have no idea as to how strong my Reiji-san is. Isn't that right...what was your name again? Nazuno-kun?"

"M-Me?" wondered Mitsumi, blinking in surprise. _'Why is she directing her attention towards me?'_ "W-While I have no idea who this silver-haired stranger is, I can at least agree that we have no idea how strong he is! I'm still certain that my friend, Yuya, will win, of course! But...you _said...my_ Reiji, so does that mean Reiji-san right here is your boyfriend or...?"

Himika grew a little irritated and insulted at Mitsumi's curiosity. "You...How old do you think I am?!"

 _'Pretend to be scared and apologetic! Keep up the act!'_ thought Mitsumi. "Eep! I'm so sorry! A-Am I wro-"

"She's my mother," answered Reiji. "That is all you need to know."

"Right, sorry! Thanks for the info! Yeah, I'll keep my mouth shut!" Mitsumi then thought, _'Hehehe! Lady, if you thought you could purposely draw attention to me, then I'll respond with retaliation! Not only did I force the attention back to you and silver hair over there, but I can seen some of your students being a little disgusted! I doubt she's going to try and bring the center of attention to me again after that fiasco!'_

 _'Stupid girl...I recognized her from researching the few number of students here at this small school,'_ thought Himika, making a silent tch sound to herself. _'Mitsumi Nazuno...one of the youngest former junior Pro Duelists...She had a few matches with my son and lost every single one of them before mysteriously disappearing, but she was definitely quite talented. I was surprised to see her in this weakling school. I can see through your innocent act, though. I suspect Reiji must have, as well.'_

"I think that's more than enough of the cheering squad," spoke the silver-haired lad named Reiji. "I want everyone here to remain silent and simply watch. My duel with him, I mean."

As both duelists headed towards the dueling field, Mitsumi frowned, pondering in thought. If Reiji's mother, Himika Akaba, was the current Chairwoman of LDS, that would make Reiji the possible President of LDS, thus being Reiji Akaba. She figured that it was solely because of Yuya and his Pendulum Summoning that Reiji paid a visit to the school. That, and because of the whole take-over-the school three duel deal as well. It seemed that this duel would settle the tie once and for all.

So, why did Reiji seem so familiar?

* * *

 _Later..._

Well...the final duel definitely turned out to be a surprise, in more way than one.

Mitsumi was correct in her assumptions that Yuya's opponent, Reiji Akaba, was definitely the LDS President. But more surprising information came to fruition during their duel. Not only did Reiji possess a D/D/D deck, but he also seemed to have high mastery of Fusion, Synchro, and XYZ Monsters, as proven during his duel. Long ago, back when she was a child and a former Junior Pro Duelist, Mitsumi also gained knowledge of the three summoning methods, and still does, but after retiring, she hasn't tried summoning them again. The only summoning methods she had used recently were both Ritual and XYZ Summoning.

An interesting fact that came during the duel was that not only did Reiji knew Yuya's father, Yusho Sakaki, but that he deeply respected him as well. When some of the LDS students proclaimed Yushou to be a coward, Reiji defended him, harshly yelling at them to be silent, which came to a surprise as everyone thought of him to be a calm individual.

While it did come shocking that Reiji used Pendulum Summoning during the duel, Mitsumi thought back and assumed it shouldn't be too surprising. Even though Pendulum Summoning was a recent, new discovery, it was inevitable that it would eventually be popular enough that Pendulum cards would be published soon enough. Just because Yuya had Pendulum Summoning, that didn't mean he was going to be the only wielder forever. Although the prototype Pendulum cards Reiji used weren't entirely complete, he did seem to have come up with new, interesting ideas to make Pendulum Summoning even stronger.

Their duel had to be cut short because of something that came up that seemed far more important than the duel. Reiji had given Yuya the win, forfeiting and securing a complete victory for the You Show Duel School, which meant that their school was safe from LDS' clutches. Well, from the looks of things, it seemed that since LDS now had access to Pendulum Summoning, they didn't need their school anymore, which was nice.

After the LDS crew left, the Action Field disappeared, returning back to its normal tennis court-like dueling field. Mitsumi didn't even notice how late it was until she saw the normal blue skies having changed into a mixture of red, orange, and yellow.

"That was pretty amazing, wasn't it?" muttered Sora. "To think that he could even use Pendulums..."

Everyone saw Yuya leaving the dueling field, and although he technically won, he acted as though he was defeated. Falling to his knees, Yuya mumbled, "How could he know how to Pendulum...? Pendulum Summoning is...unique to me..."

"Man...Anyways, good for us!" chirped Shuzo, leaving the rec room.

"Good for us?!" shouted Yuzu in disbelief. "How is this good?!"

"Yeah. The LDS left. First and foremost, we managed to protect our school thanks to everyone's efforts."

"Even if you say 'everyone,' the one who truly won was Yuya," pointed out Sora, much to the shame of Yuzu, Mitsumi, and Gongenzaka.

Angered, Tatsuya yelled, "You didn't even fight for us! How can you complain?!"

"Yeah, you weakling!" said Ayu.

"You Show Duel School doesn't want someone like you on board!" Futoshi said.

Sora took no offense to their crude comments and walked away. "Right, right!~ Sorry!~"

"Tatsuya-kun! Ayu-chan! Futoshi-kun! That was a cruel thing!" said Mitsumi, walking up to the three children. "Apologize to Sora, now!"

"That's right!" agreed Shuzo. "You three shouldn't be saying things like that!"

"Whatever!" said Futoshi.

"We don't need weaklings anyways!" Ayu spoke.

"That's it! No more sweets until you three apologize to Sora properly!" Mitsumi scolded. "And I'll know if you guys try to lie and say that you did apologize!"

"Awwww!" The three kids complained, but Mitsumi's stern expression left no other methods for arguing.

Tatsuya turned to the depressed Yuya and swore to him, "If LDS attacks us again, I'll protect us next time!"

Ayu and Futoshi couldn't agree more with Tatsuya. "Yeah, us too!"

"So, please train us again! Because Pendulum Summoning is your spec-"

"Pendulum Summoning isn't 'mine,' anymore!" yelled Yuya, losing his temper before shoving Tatsuya out of the way roughly. Before he could run away, Mitsumi grabbed his arm, causing him to stop.

 _'What am I doing? I should let him be, but maybe I can try and calm him down?'_ thought Mitsumi. "Y-Yuya, just hold on, alright?"

"...Please move out of the way."

Yuya didn't want to hurt Mitsumi. Everything that happened with the last duel wasn't anyone's fault at all. But he felt he might lose control of himself if he remained here any longer. He just wanted to be left alone, and although he understood the intention to comfort him, he really didn't need any comforting right now.

"I-I can't do that! Yuya, I don't think running away from this...Well, I'm not really sure if this should even be a problem, but running away isn't the answer!" voiced Mitsumi.

 _'Hypocrite,'_ Mitsumi thought, disgusted about herself. Long ago, she had chosen to retire being a Junior Pro Duelist after her parents' deaths, finding no reason to continue something she didn't enjoy. And since then, she's been running away from responsibilities and duels she could easily win with her skills, all to obtain a happy and peaceful life. Well, that happy and peaceful life has been getting disrupted more and more recently, and she had continued to chose the easy way out; the running away route.

"Running away-I'm not! I just want to be alone for a while!" shouted Yuya, trying to pull his arm back, only to find that Mitsumi had a much stronger grip than he thought.

"You are! It's pretty clear that you're running away!" Mitsumi protested. "I don't really see how the whole 'Reiji using Pendulum Summoning' is a huge issue. I mean, me and Sawatari-san have already Pendulum Summoned, and you had no problems with it."

"That was different! You guys Pendulum Summoned using MY Pendulum cards! And it was only a one-time thing, anyway! It's fine if it was just that, but Reiji Akaba...he...he had his own Pendulum cards!"

"Is that really so surprising? Ever since you first Pendulum Summoned, it's gotten really popular! Eventually, other Duel Monster companies would have invented more Pendulum cards, and you wouldn't even be the only Pendulum Summoning user left."

Yuya gapped, seeing the logic behind her words. It was true; eventually, anyone could potentially Pendulum Summon, but it was his own ignorance that blinded him from the truth. He was too caught up in discovering some new and amazing, that he hadn't even considered the possibility.

"That's right," agreed Shuzo. "I don't know how Reiji Akaba got his hands on some Pendulum cards, but it's a high probability that his company made them in the first place."

"Company?" wondered Yuzu, confused.

"Reiji Akaba is the CEO of Leo Corporation. For his company, which boasts the number one share in duel systems, decrypting the secrets of Pendulum Summoning could just be child's play. If that's the case, one day, the entire world will be overflowing with Pendulum cards!"

Seeing Yuya acting so shocked, Mitsumi said, "Yuya...How about we just sit down, think things through, and-"

"And have a duel!" declared Shuzo.

"What?!" both Yuya and Mitsumi shouted.

"Yeah! The best way to deal with a dispute is with a duel! Yuya, Mitsumi's going to help you by beating your stubborn personality out of you through a duel!"

"Hang on, I didn't agree to this!" argued Mitsumi. "Besides, I wouldn't really say that dueling always fixes a dispute!"

"Just hold on, Dad! What are you thinking, making them duel each other?" questioned Yuzu.

Shuzo walked over and forcibly pulled Yuya's goggles off his face. "Look, the reason why you couldn't beat Reiji Akaba is because of your stubborn belief that only YOU should have Pendulum Summoning! Because of that, you deeply underestimated your opponent, and that's what gotten you into this mess!"

"But Yuya won, didn't he, Dad?!" argued Yuzu, trying to defend Yuya. "I'm the one who lost! If you want to get mad, get mad at me!"

"But Yuya didn't exactly win," Mitsumi reminded. "He won his battle against that XYZ user, yes, but against Akaba-san? The only reason he won was because Akaba-san forfeited the match to Yuya. In a way, Yuya did lose."

"Even so-!"

"Yuzu," spoke Gongenzaka, placing a hand onto Yuzu's shoulder. "There's no need for interference. Even Mitsumi wants to do this."

"Eh?"

 _'I guess I'll have to don my real personality for a little while,'_ thought Mitsumi before winching in pain. _'Ugh! My injuries from the explosion earlier still hasn't recovered! Maybe I can use that as an excuse not to move around and show off my acrobatics too much! It's worth a shot!'_

Shuzo grabbed both Mitsumi and Yuya by their wrists and dragged them towards the dueling field. Mitsumi didn't offer any resistance while Yuya kept on protesting and trying to avoid dueling.

"Wait! I still haven't agreed to this!" shouted Yuya.

"Hiragi-sensei, as much as I agree with you that Yuya does need to be brought down a peg or two, I have to say that dueling might not be the best option to do that," said Mitsumi.

Ignoring both of them, Shuzo pushed both of them to the center of the dueling field and headed towards the door. "Gongenzaka! Are you ready?"

While Shuzo was dragging both his students towards the dueling field, Gongenzaka took the time to head over to the rec room to start the Solid Vision system, while Yuzu was calling someone on her D-Pad.

 **"Yes! I'm all prepared!"** called out Gongenzaka, speaking through the intercom.

"Okay, do it, Gongenzaka!" yelled Shuzo before rushing towards the only door in and out of the dueling field. He shut and locked the door before either Mitsumi or Yuya could get to it.

With the click of a button, Gongenzaka activated an Action Field that immediately began to transform the very same dueling field both Yuya and Mitsumi were on. **"Action Field on! Activating the Field Spell: Showtime Street!"**

It took no less than a minute for the entire dueling field to transform from a plain tennis field-like area to a large city illuminating with all sorts of signs, colorful lights, and much more than shined through the night. Right between both Mitsumi and Yuya was a road that separate the two of them and gave each other distance for their upcoming duel.

Mitsumi didn't seem to recognize this certain Action Field, but it appeared that Yuya did. "This is Dad's-!" gasped Yuya.

 **"Yes!"** Now Shuzo was in the rec room, having taken over the intercom. **"This is the field that your father, Yusho Sakaki, held as his forte! Compared to the duels you've had, your Entertainment Duels are nothing to your father, Yuya!"**

Taking offense to that, Yuya angrily questioned, "Are you saying that all of my duels have been fake?!"

 **"I'm only saying that recently, it seems you're all about cards and not the spirit of a true Entertainment Duel! Even Mitsumi can do a better Entertainment Duel than you, and she doesn't even have to try!"**

 _'I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult, considering that I've been half-assing Entertainment Duels all this time,'_ thought Mitsumi, annoyed. _'And leave me out of this, stupid sensei! I didn't even want to duel to begin with!'_

"Okay, for the record, I did NOT agree to dueling you," Mitsumi said to Yuya.

 **"Mitsumi, please just duel Yuya."**

"I don't see why I have to! Can't we just calm down and talk things over? We don't have to settle this with a duel!" protested Mitsumi.

 **"Yuya needs a friend to help him calm down and realize there's more to Entertainment Dueling than just having Pendulum cards! He needs to get that notion out of his mind!"**

"Well, why don't YOU do it then, sensei?! You seemed pretty determined to do that! I mean, I agree that Yuya needs to be talked down to-"

 **"Well...to be honest, I kinda broke my D-Pad the other day. I accidentally spilled coffee over it."**

 _'FUCKING-! Ugh, I'm surrounded by insensitive idiots!'_ thought Mitsumi, resisting the urge to curse out loud.

 **"Seriously?! I, the man Gongenzaka, do not approve of such reckless behavior!"**

 **"It was a one-time thing! It won't happen again! My new D-Pad was going to be delivered in two days anyways!"**

"Dad...this is so embarrassing," sighed Yuzu, shaking her head.

"I don't even want to duel right now, either!" Yuya hollered. "How can you expect me to go and duel again after all that's happened? Pendulum Summoning was supposed to be MY thing, not something that anyone else can imitate!"

 _'Okay, I am getting real sick and tired of his constant whining about that stupid Pendulum Summoning ideal he has,'_ thought Mitsumi, turning to Yuya. "You know what? FINE! I'll duel you, Yuya, to calm you down!"

"What?! I thought you were against dueling me!" said Yuya, shocked.

 _'Okay, calm down, Mitsumi! Just calm down!'_ Mitsumi thought to herself. "I know! I don't want to duel you either. But I...I can't stand seeing you like this! As your friend, it's my obligation to help you, no matter what! We all care for you, Yuya, and we want to help you feel better. Believe me, I don't want dueling to be the first option of helping you, but...if sensei thinks it's the best way to clear your mind, I'll do my best!"

"Mitsumi..."

"Besides...The door's locked, and Hiragi-sensei has the key, so we can't really get out even if we wanted to."

"Oh...yeah, kinda forgot about that, too," admitted Yuya.

"...So...are we going to start dueling, or-"

"Oh, right! Let's get started! I have nothing against you, Mitsumi, but I won't be holding back! I'm going to prove to teacher that my duels aren't fake!" declared Yuya. "Duelists locked in battle!"

 _'Goddamnit, we're doing the whole stupid Action Duel chant again, are we?'_ Mitsumi thought. "Kicking against the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!"

"They storm through-!"

"This field!"

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling!"

"ACTION..."

"DUEL!"

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Yuya - 4000 LP**

 _'As much as I want Yuya to go first so I can have card hand advantage on the next turn, it's probably best if I go first. It's possible that he might have those Pendulum cards in his hands already,'_ thought Mitsumi. "I'll go first! I set two cards, and then I summon Gishki Avance in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Avance - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1500/800)

"I activate Gishki Avance's effect! Once per turn, I can choose a Gishki Monster from my deck and place it on the top of my deck! I end my turn!"

 **"Good start, Mitsumi! Now, teach Yuya a lesson he'll never forget!"** cheered Shuzo.

 _'You know, you're not really helping by cheering me on while antagonizing Yuya at the same time!'_ Mitsumi wanted to shout, but kept her mouth shut.

Irritated, Yuya drew his card. "My turn, draw! I, using Scale 1 Stargazer Magician, and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, set the Pendulum Scale!"

Even though both of Yuya's ace Pendulum Monsters were set in the pillars of light, to Shuzo, it didn't seem like their illuminating spark was all there this duel.

"With this, I can summon Monsters from Levels 2 to 7! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my Monsters! Entermate Bowhopper! Entermate Fire Mufflerlion! And Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Entermate Bowhopper - (EARTH/Insect) - LV4 - (1500/1000)

Entermate Fire Mufflerlion - (FIRE/Beast/Pendulum) - Scale 5- LV3 - (800/800)

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/Pendulum) - Scale 4 - LV7 - (2500/2000)

"This is bad!" cried out Tatsuya. "Yuya-niichan's already got Pendulum Summoning on his first turn!"

"With such a huge advantage, Yuya will win!" said Yuzu.

"Now!" shouted Yuya. "I-"

"I'm activating my Trap card, Torrential Tribute!" shouted Mitsumi. "This can be activated only when a Monster's summoned! Now all the monsters on both my field and yours are both destroyed!"

"What?!" exclaimed Yuya. A large wave flooded the streets, taking down every single Monster on the field, besides Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician, who were already up on the Pendulum Scales in the Pendulum Zones, completely unaffected.

"And after Yuya-niichan worked so hard to get all those Pendulum Summoned Monsters out!" whined Ayu.

"How did you know when to play this ca-"

"Are you kidding me, Yuya? You are so predicable! I knew it! I knew you'd try and Pendulum Summon the second you got the chance!" shouted Mitsumi, expressing her frustrations out on him.

Yuya seemed startled by Mitsumi's harsh tone towards him. "Um..."

Noting her frustrations seeping out, Mitsumi wore an apologetic look. "I...I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry, Yuya."

"It's fine, I guess...?"

 **"What are you doing? Continue that scary and aggressive new attitude of yours, Mitsumi!"** encouraged Shuzo. **"Let Yuya have it! Defeat him!"**

 _'You are not helping!'_ Mitsumi thought, frustrated as Yuya also grew the same as Mitsumi. "I'm sorry about this, Yuya! I now activate my other Trap, Torrential Reborn! When a face-up WATER Monster I control is destroyed by battle or by card effect and sent to the Graveyard, I get to Special Summon the Monsters destroyed at the time!"

Gishki Avance - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1500/800)

"Now, for each WATER Monster that was Special Summoned, you get hit 500 Points of Damage!"

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **Yuya - 3500 LP**

Seeing as there was only one card left in his hand, Yuya had no other options but to defend himself. "I set a card facedown and end my turn!"

 **"That first turn of yours was SO disappointing, Yuya! Your father would have done a better job than that!"** called out Shuzo.

"Grrrr-!" growled Yuya, feeling insulted and increasingly irritated. "Shut up!"

 _'You know, I wish Action Duels had a mute option for players, because honestly, he's getting annoying!'_ thought Mitsumi. "My turn, draw! I summon Gishki Chain in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Chain - (WATER/Sea Serpent) - LV4 - (1800/1000)

"His effect now activates! If he's Normal Summoned, I get to look at the top 3 cards on my deck, and if there's a Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell card among them, I get to add it to my hand, and then place any of the two remaining cards on top of my deck in any order! ...I got Forbidden Arts of the Gishki, which I'll add to my hand and then place the remaining two cards back on top of my deck!"

"Is she going to Ritual Summon now?" wondered Yuzu.

"I activate Gishki Avance's effect again!" shouted Mitsumi, running across the street as her Gishki Chain leapt high on top of a streetlight and dangled his chain-like weapon down for her to catch it. "I choose a Gishki Monster and place it on top of my deck!" She grabbed onto the chain and swung herself forward, grabbing onto a railing on top of a small building.

Having gripped the railing tightly, Mitsumi then proceeded with her actions and spotted an Action Card near her. As she reached to grab it, she winched and grabbed her side, grunting in pain. _'Ugh! It's a little worse than I thought! But if it's just this level of pain, I can endure it!'_ she thought before snatching the Action Card.

"Oi! Mitsumi, are you alright?" called out Yuya, concerned about her. He hasn't forgotten about her taking a huge hit from her last duel, and it seemed that her wounds still haven't recovered yet.

"Oh, yeah! Mitsumi got hit by an explosion in her last duel!" cried out Yuzu. "What's Dad thinking, making her duel under a really bad condition!"

 **"Oh, no! I completely forgot! Mitsumi-chan got hit by an explosion!"** cried out Shuzo.

"YOU IDIOT!" Yuzu, Yuya, and Gongenzaka yelled.

Using the chain that she used earlier, Mitsumi clung onto it as she slid down and fell to her knees before standing back up with the help of a wall nearby. Her side ached from her injuries, but if she doesn't do anything that would trigger more pain, she knew she should be alright.

"Mitsumi, are you sure you can continue?" Yuya asked.

Mitsumi nodded, forcing herself to smile at him. "Y-Yeah...Don't worry...I should be able to get through this duel if I don't move around too much...Anyways, I activate the Ritual Spell, Forbidden Arts of the Gishki! I use Gishki Avance and Gishki Chain in order to Ritual Summon Evigishki Soul Ogre, in Defense Mode!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (2800/2800)

"However, because of Forbidden Arts of the Gishki, the Monster Ritual Summoned must have their Attack Points halved, and I can't attack the turn I activated the Ritual Spell."

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (1400/2800)

"Why summon a Monster that way? Now her Ritual Monster's weakened!" said Futoshi.

"Ah, but her Monster's Attack Points are the only thing that's weakened," said Yuzu. "Nothing changed for her Monster's Defense Points. It was a good move to put it in Defense Mode instead of Attack Mode."

"I set a card and end my turn!"

"My turn, draw!" shouted Yuya. "Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc-"

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to stop you right there with my Trap card!" shouted Mitsumi. "Heavy Storm Duster! I get to target 2 Spells and/or Traps on the field and destroy them! However, in exchange, I can't conduct my Battle Phase the turn I activate this card!"

"Another excellent move Mitsumi pulled off!" praised Gongenzaka. "Pulling off such a move during Yuya's turn was a smart move!"

Mitsumi took a moment to contemplate which ones she wished to destroy. Her original targets were Yuya's two Pendulum Monsters that were on the Pendulum Scales, since they acted as Spell cards. However, she was extremely wary about Yuya's facedown card, so she made her decision.

"I'll destroy Stargazer Magician and your facedown card, Yuya!" declared Mitsumi. Two tornadoes shot out from her Trap card and blew away Stargazer Magician and the facedown card Yuya had.

"That's strange. Why didn't Mitsumi-neechan go after Yuya's other Pendulum Monster?" wondered Ayu.

"It must be that she's playing it safe," said Yuzu. "Yuya can't Pendulum Summon without another Pendulum Monster in his other Pendulum Zone, and Mitsumi got rid of what might have been a Trap card. Huh, she never was this careful before. She was always somewhat reckless in all of our other duels."

 **"What now, Yuya?"** taunted Shuzo. **"Mitsumi-chan just destroyed one of your Pendulum Monsters, and from what I recall, you can't Pendulum Summon without another Pendulum Monster in the Pendulum Zone, right? Plus, I doubt you can just randomly take Pendulum Monsters out from your Extra Deck and place them in the Pendulum Zone! What will you do?~"**

"Gh-!" grunted Yuya, getting more angry.

"Dad...you're really getting full of yourself!" growled Yuzu, clenching her paper fan angrily.

"Oh, dear. It seems that Shuzo-kun's as tactless as ever," sighed Yoko, who had just arrived and was now watching from the sidelines like everyone else.

"Mrs. Sakaki! You finally got my message!"

"Yup. Even though Mitsumi-chan's the one dueling, I'm certain Shuzo-kun would definitely help try and get the message through to Yuya's head."

"Message?"

"I summon Entermate Longphone Bull in Attack Mode!"

Entermate Longphone Bull - (EARTH/Beast) - LV4 - (1600/1200)

"When he's summoned, I can add an Entermate Monster with 1000 or less Attack Points from my deck to my hand! I'm adding Entermate Camelump to my hand!"

 _'Another Pendulum Monster...And it's Scale 2...That means that Yuya will no doubt Pendulum Summon Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!'_ thought Mitsumi. _'Luckily, I have a back-up plan for when he attacks!'_

"I set the Scale 2 Entermate Camelump in the Pendulum Zone!" declared Yuya. "Now, I, using the Scale 2 Camelump, and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my Monsters! Entermate Fire Mufflerlion! Stargazer Magician! And Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

Entermate Fire Mufflerlion - (FIRE/Beast/Pendulum) - Scale 5- LV3 - (800/800)

Stargazer Magician - (DARK/Spellcaster/Pendulum) - Scale 1 - LV5 - (1200/2400)

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/Pendulum) - Scale 4 - LV7 - (2500/2000)

 **"How predictable as always!"** said Shuzo, slow clapping. **"But, as amazing as Pendulum Summoning truly is, your performance just down was boring! Lame! I'd give it a 2 out of 10, and I'm just feeling generous! Even Yusho could do much better, and he didn't make his moves predictable!"**

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" yelled Yuya. "What more do you want from me?! I get that my Dad's way more magnificent and cooler than me-"

 **"Exactly!"** interrupted Shuzo. **"Yusho Sakaki was an entertainment far cooler and magnificent than anyone else! But, it wasn't always like that."**

"...What?"

 **"Yusho Sakaki brought thrills and speed to Action Dueling. However, his acrobatic style attracted a lot of criticism. But eventually, the jeers changed into cheers, and Yusho Sakaki became a real shining star of the Action Duel world! The door to a new world won't open unless someone with courage pushes it! And now, Yuya! You've opened a new door called Pendulum! But now, Pendulums aren't exclusive to you anymore! Eventually, anyone will be able to Pendulum Summon!"**

"..." Yuya glanced down, unsure what to say before gritting his teeth and shaking his head, as though still in denial. He glanced around and started running off, having spotted an Action Card.

With the help of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Yuya leapt off his ace dragon and yanked the Action Card off a large sign before activating it. "Action Card, Spotlight Encore! This grants my Odd-Eyes 1000 extra Attack Points until the end of the Battle Phase!"

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/Pendulum) - Scale 4 - LV7 - (3500/2000)

 _'And after Odd-Eyes destroys her Monster, I can activate Fire Mufflerlion's effect and have Odd-Eyes attack again, and then have Timegazer Magician finish her off!'_ thought Yuya. "Now, I activate Camelump's Pendulum effect! Once per turn, during my Battle Phase, I can target a Monster I control, and if that Monster targets one of your Monsters for an attack, your Monster loses 800 Defense Points, and the Monster I've chosen gets to inflict piercing damage to a Monster you control that's in Defense Mode! Soul Ogre now loses 800 Defense Points!"

Camelump sprouted bubbles out of its mouth, which made their way towards Evigishki Soul Ogre, weakening him.

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (1400/2000)

"Now, attack-"

"I activate the Action Card, Illusion Dance!" countered Mitsumi. "Now all of the Monsters on the field are switched to Defense Mode! But, this effect only lasts until the end of this turn!"

A lantern appeared between the two opponents' Monsters, and they began dancing amongst each other. Although Mitsumi's Entertainment skills weren't top notch like her other classmates, she had to admit, it was a little fun watching her Evigishki Soul Ogre and the rest of Yuya's other Monsters dancing.

"I...I end my turn," said Yuya.

 **"Yuya,"** spoke up Shuzo. **"Why are you so afraid of people Pendulum Summoning? What's wrong with the world eventually learning how to Pendulum Summon? It's not a crime or forbidden. You have to accept reality, Yuya-"**

"Shut up!" yelled Yuya. "I'm sick of tired of everyone telling me what to do! Pendulum Summoning was supposed to be MY thing! I may not know where it originally came from, but-"

"Yuya? Sorry, but can I say something real quick?" said Mitsumi, raising her hand.

Yuya did his best not to take his anger out on her and took a deep breath, nodding. "Can't be any worse than what's already been said now-"

"Yuya, you're acting like a child."

The noises from the background in the Action Field were the only noises occurring while everyone else remained silent. Yuya was about to yell at Mitsumi for her insensitive and insulting comment when he stopped short. The cold look on Mitsumi's face, a very unfamiliar expression to Yuya, stopped him dead on his tracks as he felt unwavering fear within him from just staring at that expression. He feared that if he said something right now, he might live to regret it.

Continuing, Mitsumi said, "Do you really think the whole world revolves around you just because you've got Pendulum Summoning? Big deal! WHO CARES? Yeah, I get it, Pendulum Summoning is awesome, and it's fine if you get caught up in its new advantages and whatnot, but hogging it for yourself and deciding that no one else but you should have the right to Pendulum Summon is nothing short than a child throwing an tantrum!"

"You can't just-!"

"I'm saying right now as your friend and fellow dueling opponent! Your attitude right now is selfish and unbecoming of you, Yuya. Eventually, as long as you keep up with this stupid attitude of yours, you won't be entertaining anyone with your Entertainment Duels...You'll only be doing them for yourself. You'll just be entertaining yourself just to stroke your own ego that somehow, you managed to invent Pendulum Summon, and refuse to let anyone else do it, because you fear that they'll take the spotlight!"

"I-! That's...I..."

Taking her words into account, Yuya stopped and took a good look at himself, glancing at his own reflection from behind one of the windows in a nearby building. Did he really turn out selfish ever since he learned Pendulum Summoning? Come to think of it, the sight of Reiji Akaba Pendulum Summoning shocked him and placed him in a nearby depressed state. and that was all...because he didn't want anyone else to Pendulum Summon.

Could Mitsumi be right? Did he just want to hog all the glory to himself?

 **"Mitsumi-"**

"NO!" yelled Mitsumi, glaring at Shuzo with a ferocity so intense, Shuzo flinched back. "I am so sick and tired of you constantly rambling on and interrupting during our duel! I didn't even want to participate in this stupid duel to begin with! If you really wanted to talk to Yuya seriously, then stop taunting Yuya and making him feel bad! Actually start taking this seriously and talk to him like a real, mature, responsible adult instead of the man-child you are!"

 **"...I was going to say something meaningful and helpful to Yuya, if that's...okay?"** squeaked Shuzo, being taken aback by her harsh attitude.

All of the stress was getting to Mitsumi as she felt dizzy from her slight outburst before she decided to sit down on the concrete to relax. "Fine! Fine...Just...just make it quick..."

Shuzo cleared his throat and spoke clearly in the intercom. **"Yuya, Yusho Sakaki would never feel that others performing Pendulum Summoning would be so shocking. When everyone started Action Dueling like him, he was overjoyed!"**

"Overjoyed?" wondered Yuya. What Shuzo was saying...it was similar to his own predicament, except when Yuya discovered that anyone could Pendulum Summon, it had horrified him at first instead of the feeling of happiness overwhelming him.

 **"That's right, and he undauntedly polished his skills! Everyone around him followed his example and created the prosperity of Action Duels we know today through diligent training!"**

Shuzo's words struck Yuya in the heart. He remembered from his last duel with Reiji that his father was the pioneer of Action Dueling and that he deeply respected his father. In fact, it seemed that it was thanks to his father that not only did everyone enjoy watching his performances of Action Dueling, but also that they helped his father improve the ways of Action Dueling, and in turn, his father improved from watching other people in their Action Duels.

 **"Only the best knows what it's like to be the best! You have to become the best, Yuya! As the first one to open the door called Pendulum Summoning, you need to set an example for those who follow! Fearlessly hone your skills against Reiji Akaba!"**

Yuya glanced down and gripped his pendulum necklace, reminding him of the last gift granted to him before his father mysteriously disappeared. It was true; he had a long ways to go before surpassing Reiji Akaba, who had, at the moment, surpassed him by figuring out the possibilities and evolutions of Pendulum Summoning. When his father discovered the advancements and new evolutions of Action Dueling, he didn't try to hog it for himself. No, he tried to express his own style in Entertainment Duels to not only set an example for others, but also to show his own Entertainment.

Shuzo's words, along with the support from his friends, helped Yuya realize that he can't hog Pendulum Summoning to himself. No, he needed to recognize that like Action Duels, Pendulum Summoning was something that everyone can share and learn and grow together. With that, his mind was set and clear of any doubts.

"Mitsumi! Everyone! I'm sorry!" called out Yuya with a bright smile. "I haven't been showing a very good Entertainment, have I? Well, my mind's all clear! Ladies and Ge-"

"Uh...Yuya? You know that you're still in your Battle Phase, and I just forced all your Monsters in Defense Mode."

"...Right! I knew that!" Yuya said, scrambling through his cards, trying to remember where they last picked off. "Okay...Okay! I end my turn! At this time, Camelump's effect wears off!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (1400/2800)

"And at the end of the turn, Illusion Dance's effect also wears off, returning all of the Monsters affected back into Attack Mode," said Mitsumi. "My turn, draw! I summon Gishki Beast!"

Gishki Beast - (WATER/Beast) - LV4 - (1500/1300)

"Because of Gishki Beast's effect, when he's Normal Summoned, I can target 1 Level 4 or lower Gishki Monster from my Graveyard and Special Summon that Monster in Defense Mode! I choose Gishki Avance!"

Gishki Avance - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1500/800)

"I use the two Level 4 Monsters I control to build the Overlay Network!" declared Mitsumi; the familiar swirling colors of darkness and light colliding with each other to form a portal that sent Mitsumi's Monsters towards the portal in the form of twisted light.

"Is Mitsumi going to XYZ Summon again like last time?" wondered Yuzu. "Who knew that she knew an advanced summoning method?"

 _'It's really not that difficult to understand, guys! You just need a basic understanding of the method! No need to start a class all over it,'_ thought Mitsumi, rather annoyed. "XYZ Summon! Evigishki Merrowgeist!"

Evigishki Merrowgeist - (WATER/Aqua) - Rank 4 - (2100/1600)

"Merrowgeist!" called out Mitsumi, running while raising her arm. Her XYZ Monster swooped down and grabbed her by the hand, causing Mitsumi to fly around the Action Field in search for an Action Card to play.

"Crap, crap, crap!" cried out Yuya, running around for an Action Card as well. He used Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon as a trampoline and ran across rooftop to rooftop, trying to find a good Action Card when he saw one hanging onto a floating ring.

"Action Card: Power Gem!" shouted Mitsumi. "I target Merrowgeist and she receives 800 Attack Points!"

Evigishki Merrowgeist - (WATER/Aqua) - Rank 4 - (2900/1600)

"Merrowgeist, destroy Fire Mufflerlion!"

"Eh?! Why not one of my more stronger Monsters?!" exclaimed Yuya before making a leap for the ring and successfully grabbing the Action Card. Seeing Mitsumi's XYZ Monster getting closer, Yuya frantically activated his own Action Card. "Action Card: Battle Change! I change your Monster's target to Odd-Eyes!"

Mitsumi released her grip on her XYZ Monster and watched as she thrusted her spear right through Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, destroying him.

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **Yuya - 3100 LP**

Landing back on her feet, Mitsumi felt a sharp pain on her side as her Monsters returned to her side of the field to protect her. "Ow, ow, ow!"

Yuya grew concerned. "Mitsumi? Are you sure you want to continue? I can forfeit and-"

"I...I don't kno-" grunted Mitsumi before feeling dizzy and collapsing headfirst on the ground.

"Mitsumi!" cried out Yuya, running towards her as fast as he could. Worried for Mitsumi's current condition, Shuzo had quickly turned off the Solid Vision system and hurried to the lower level to unlock the door that allowed both entry and exit of the dueling field.

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **Yuya - 3100 LP**

 **Winner: DRAW**

By the time Shuzo unlocked the door, everyone saw Yuya cradling Mitsumi in his arms, placing a hand on her forehead and urging her to wake up.

"Mitsumi! Are you okay? Your forehead's burning!"

"I..." Mitsumi had woken up and looked around. "How...long was I out?"

"Around a minute ago! You collapsed!" cried out Yuya as everyone gathered around her.

"Huh...? Oh, I guess I didn't no-Ow!" hissed Mitsumi, clutching her forehead. "Ahh...My head hurts...And so does my body...!"

"I'm sorry, Mitsumi-chan," apologized Shuzo, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I should have taken account of your body's condition from your last duel."

Mitsumi shook her head. "No...No, I'm sorry. I said some really mean things to you during my duel with Yuya...I'm really sorry, Principal...I didn't mean-"

"That doesn't matter! Your health is more important," assured Shuzo before turning to Yuya and Gongenzaka. "Can you help escort Mitsumi-chan home? I'll contact her grandmother and let her know."

"Ah, no! No! It's no big deal!" assured Mitsumi, grabbing onto Yuya's shoulder to force herself to stand up. "I have to get back home soon...I have to cook dinner, prepare for lunch tomorrow, I-I've got a lot of things to take care of back h-"

"Yuya! Gongenzaka! She's being in one of her stubborn states again! Grab her arms and legs!" ordered Yuzu.

"Yes, ma'am!" Both boys cried out before obediently following Yuzu's orders. Gongenzaka wrapped his arms under Mitsumi's armpits while Yuya grabbed Mitsumi's legs, and the two boys began carrying her away.

"Wha-?! Hey, I got lots of things to-"

"Oh, no you don't, Mitsumi! We're going to carry you back home, and you're going to rest!"

"B-But I can't! Grandma will starve if I don't cook-"

"Then, we'll buy some dinner or something along the way back to your house. I, the man, Gongenzaka, find it admirable that you care for your grandmother even in your condition! Truly, it is adm-"

"Yeah, yeah, that's nice. Let's hurry, Yuya and Gongenzaka!"

Later, Yuya, Gongenzaka, and Yuzu were walking down by a riverbank, escorting a tired and injured Mitsumi back to her home. Yuzu was escorting the path back to Mitsumi's home, Yuya was carrying the groceries, and Gongenzaka was carrying Mitsumi on his back.

"I'm...sorry that you guys had to go through so much just to take care of me..." groaned Mitsumi tiredly.

"Nah, it's no big deal," assured Yuzu. "Compared to the things you do for us, this is minor!"

"Besides, you are tired, Mitsumi! Get some rest! We don't want you getting sick!" scolded Gongenzaka.

"Yuya…?" Mitsumi called out.

"Yeah?"

"...I'm sorry...During our duel...I lost my temper and said some really, horrible things...I-"

Yuya shook his head. "No, you were right. Everything you said was right. I was selfish. I acted like a child when I learned that someone had Pendulum cards and could Pendulum Summon like me. That was selfish and childish of me. It was actually thanks to your criticism that helped me realize that, so...thank you."

"..."

"I have to thank you, the Principal, and everyone else. I'll train harder than anyone else. I'll get better and stronger! So that I can become a duelist who puts smiles on everyone's faces like my Dad one day!"

Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and Mitsumi acknowledged Yuya's heartwarming decision with determination in their hearts. They knew Yuya's word was true, and that they felt that he truly was going to grow stronger from here on, just like he proved today. Gongenzaka and Yuzu felt determined to grow just as strong as the LDS students and push past their fears and reach out their courage to open new doors for their future.

As for Mitsumi...she didn't say anything. She was unsure of what sort of destiny her future held, or what she wanted to do when she grew up. She could always become a baker, since she was naturally talented in baking sweets, but even though she doesn't have a large dueling passion like her friends, she does still like dueling to an extent. She's still going to hide her painful past from the others and bury it deep in the grave, but...

She doesn't know exactly what her path will be in the future.

* * *

 **Yeah...so, maybe not my best chapter to write down, but honestly, I wanted some more Mitsumi action. Yeah, Shuzo was likely to be Yuya's opponent after Reiji left instead of Mitsumi, but like I said, I wanted some more action from my OC. Yes, the duel did end up in a tie, but the whole point got through to Yuya, and that's all what matters.**

 **Read and review!**


	12. In it to Win it

**So, just like with my other Yu-Gi-Oh related fanfics, this fanfic's also slowly becoming more and more popular, though only by a small percent. But, that's fine with me, considering that's how it started with my Cherished Evolution fanfic as well. Like I mentioned before, this fanfic will be very different and have an alternative which will separate itself from the anime's original plot. I think I've said more than enough, so let's go, go, go!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

The bell rang for lunchtime, causing many of the students at school to explore out on campus and enjoy their lunch, talk, or just hang out on the school grounds. For Mitsumi and her friends, they were outside, sitting on a bench and taking out their bento boxes to begin eating.

After opening his lunch lid, which also contained a picture of his father and his father's favorite ace Monster, Entermate Sky Magician, Yuya smiled and swore to himself, "Watch me, Dad! I'll sharpen my skills and become a pro, just like you! I'll make everyone smile with the best entertainment dueling!"

Like Yuzu, Mitsumi was also proud of Yuya for taking the next step to maturing and improving his own dueling style. It seems that he had grown out of his childish demeanor about him being the only Pendulum Summoning user. Mitsumi knew that she had been the one to duel Yuya to get him out of the dumps, but really, it felt like she was a small part of his recovery, whereas Shuzo may have been the main reason for Yuya returning back to normal. Even so, if she could help her friend, even just a little, that would be great.

"And with that, let's dig in!~" said Yuya, happy to chow down his delicious food. "I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna be the very best! Like no one ever was!"

Frowning, Yuzu scolded at his gluttonous behavior. "Hey! Don't talk with your mouth full!"

Mitsumi sweatdropped and tugged gently at Yuya's arm, causing him to stop and look at her with rice and other food snippets all over his mouth. "Yuya, just slow down a bit and chew slowly, alright?"

Gulping down the food he was eating, Yuya grinned. "Sorry! I just can't help it!"

"Hey! You don't slow down when I say so, but when Mitsumi-chan says so, it's fine?" questioned Yuzu, pouting.

"Well, she's nicer about it! And nobody can resist a cute little cinnamon roll like her!" Yuya said, patting her gently on the head.

Turning a little pink from his treatment, Mitsumi decided to try and change the subject by fishing her hand into her coat pocket, trying to find something. "Okay, where did my handkerchief go...? I know I had it around here somewhere-"

"Hey there," spoke Shingo, appearing in front of Mitsumi and handing his own, personal handkerchief to her like a gentleman.

"O-Oh! Sawatari-san! I'm so glad you're okay and out of the hospital!" chirped Mitsumi, fighting the urge to strangle the irritating guy in front of her. _'URGH! Why couldn't he stay in the hospital a bit longer?!'_ she thought.

"I heard you were in need of a handkerchief. You should feel grateful that I, the great Shingo Sawatari, would go so far as to provide one for you! Go on, take it!" assured Shingo, smiling.

To Mitsumi's silent relief, Yuzu intervened, handing Mitsumi her own handkerchief. "Here, Mitsumi-chan. Take my handkerchief. It's much more...cleaner that way," said Yuzu, glaring at Shingo, whose eyes twitched in annoyance.

"Thank you, Yuzu-chan!" thanked Mitsumi before using the handkerchief to wipe the food remnants off Yuya's mouth. _'Thank God Yuzu was around!'_

"Tch!" Shingo turned to Yuya, as though trying to brush away his failure of luring in Mitsumi once again. "Sheesh! You're so uncouth in front of two lovely ladies! Your eating habits and dueling are both dirty!"

 _'Well, we can agree with the eating habits, at least,'_ thought Mitsumi.

"Dirty?!" exclaimed Yuya, offended. "My eating habits aside, what about my dueling is dirty?!"

"Hmph! I heard you ambushed someone again."

This news shocked Yuya and his friends, in which Yuzu retaliated by defending Yuya. "That wasn't Yuya, though! But...what did you mean again?!"

"An LDS lecturer was attacked by a man who uses XYZ Summons," explained Shingo.

"Wait, but...remember when Akaba-san left the You Show Duel School?" wondered Mitsumi. "He did leave in a strange way, after all."

Realizing what Mitsumi's conclusion was coming towards, Yuya shouted, "That's why he left in a hurry like that!"

Mitsumi nodded. "Then, that must mean that while Yuya and Akaba-san was dueling, that LDS lecturer must have been attacked during that time."

"Hey, yeah! If that's the case, then that proves that Yuya wasn't the culprit!" said Yuzu.

Shingo shrugged, uncaring. "I was kidding about Yuya being the culprit this time. This time, the victim was an LDS teacher. Yuya couldn't have beaten him even with those cowardly Pendulum Summons."

"Cowardly?!" Now Yuya was even more offended than ever. "Just how is my Pendulum Summoning cowardly?!"

Leaning in close to Yuya's face, Shingo, in a rare angry tone, told him, "It's unfair that only you have it."

Surprised by Shingo's rare tone, Yuya grew silent. This was like back before, when he learned that he wasn't the only Pendulum Summoning user anymore, or how the kids who joined the You Show Duel School to witness Pendulum Summoning, quitted soon after when they accused Yuya of cheating. Yuya didn't have a rebuttal to counter Shingo's words.

"But that'll end soon," assured Shingo. "There are rumors that LDS is independently developing Pendulum cards. I'm gonna get my hands on those and defeat you! That's all I came here to say. See ya. I'll be waiting at the Junior Youth Championship."

"The...Junior Youth Championship?" asked Yuya, confused as Shingo walked away.

"Don't you remember, Yuya?" spoke Mitsumi. "That's part of the Maiami Championship that helps one become a Pro Duelist."

"...T-That's right! As I am right now, I can't become a pro!"

"I-It's okay, Yuya!" assured Mitsumi, patting him on the back. "You can still qualify. After all, in order to enter the tournament, I heard that you need to have at least 50 matches with a 60% win rate. Say, how many wins do you have, Yuya?"

"...46 matches with 26 wins," said Yuya, using his D-Pad to check his dueling history. "I need more!"

"Hmm...26 divided by 46...would be...0. 565...which would make it 56.5%," summarized Mitsumi. "That means you would need to win at least 4 more matches to get to around 60%. That shouldn't be too hard for you. There are possibly student around here who are duelists."

Yuya perked up, crying tears of joy as he held Mitsumi's hands. "Mitsumi-chan...thank you! You've just given me the best good news ever! You're the greatest!~"

"E-eh?! I...I didn't really do much," admitted Mitsumi, looking away. "Anyways, there's still time before lunch ends, so why don't we go find those four duelists?"

"Yeah! Okay-"

"Right after we eat!" Yuzu interrupted, glancing at Yuya. "It's not fair and it's rather impolite to go off when we girls haven't even eaten! Shame on you, Yuya!"

"Eh?! But I really want to right now!"

"Then, go by yourself!"

"Um...You know, I don't really have to eat right now," said Mitsumi. "If Yuya wants, I can-"

"Nope!" Wrapping an arm around Mitsumi's shoulders, Yuzu firmly held her there. "You're staying here to finish eating, and that's that! Yuya, go! Shoo!"

Yuya pouted, but he understood what Yuzu was getting at. "...Fine! Meanie! Except you, Mitsumi! You're no meanie!"

"I will pulverize you!" growled Yuzu, bearing sharp fangs at him that caused the tomato-haired boy to run off. Turning to Mitsumi with a happy expression, Yuzu said, "Now, let's eat!"

"O-Okay!"

* * *

 _After school..._

In the end, no matter where they went, nobody at school wanted to duel Yuya. There were various reasons why; he beat Strong Ishijima, he's too OP with Pendulum Summoning, he must have automatically gotten in the tournament without even trying, and so on. Therefore, nobody bothered dueling Yuya, leaving him pretty depressed for a while.

After the school bell rang for the end of the day, Mitsumi was about to take out her actual shoes from her shoe locker when she noticed an envelope with a heart-shaped sticker in the middle. Knowing full well who it was from, Mitsumi resisted the urge to groan and secretly hid the letter in her pocket so that none of her friends found out.

"Um...Yuzu-chan? Yuya? Would you guys go on ahead? I just remembered that I have classroom cleanup duty to take care of," Mitsumi spoke sweetly. "I'm sorry, but I'll be a little late coming to class today."

"Huh? Again? Well...okay," agreed Yuzu before she and Yuya left.

Mitsumi turned and opened up the letter, knowing full well it was yet another one of Shingo's love letters sent to her. Ever since he's held an interest in her for who knows how long, he sometimes sent her love letters filled with confessions, poems, and sometimes to meet up. Whenever nobody was looking, she'd usually rip up and throw away the sickly love letters, and every time they met up so Shingo could declare his love for her, she'd proclaim that she wasn't ready for romance.

It seems today was yet another meetup.

Why doesn't Mitsumi herself just ignore the love letters? Because then, later on, Shingo himself would just ask her to recite them later on, and would throw a childish tantrum every time she said she forgot or lied about getting the love letter. Plus, if she didn't go to even a single meetup spot, he's confront her about it the next day, and then...well, the consequences served to be a huge headache for Mitsumi, so she decided to just deal with Shingo whenever possible.

Yes, she has received love letters from the past, but she normally ignores them or just confronts the guys who sent them and give them an apology, saying she wasn't interested. So, she was used to seeing the crying and rejected faces of her fellow male classmates. Did she feel bad? Just a little, but it usually goes away after a few hours.

Honestly, Mitsumi didn't ask to be amongst the most popular girls in school. Her appearance at first, was thanks to her deceased parents pampering her up to be a beauty in the future, but after they died, she made herself the way she wanted, except for the long hair. Her grandmother always said that she loved Mitsumi's long blue hair, so she kept that length throughout the years, never once cutting it. But, it was thanks to this popularity that made her a target amongst female bullies, but luckily, they don't bother her all of the time.

The letter contained the location of the meetup; the rooftop. Where nobody would bother them or even see them, especially since it was after school. The only people left after school would just be teachers working in the teacher's lounge and students participating in after school activities. It didn't take long for Mitsumi to make her way up to the rooftop, where Shingo was.

 _'Alright, Mitsumi! Get your game face on! Just pretend to be the shy and adorable girl everyone knows and loves and get in there! Just reject him again, and you can finally get out of here!'_ thought Mitsumi, opening the door to the rooftop.

Just as she expected, Shingo was leaning against the rooftop railings, holding a blue rose close to him. Hearing the rooftop door open, Shingo smirked and wore a confident expression on his face as he started heading towards Mitsumi.

Mitsumi was less than amused, yet still held the shy look on her face. She thought, _'Like always, I want to punch pretty boy in his face. I wonder what a black eye would look like on him?'_ "S-Sawatari-san, I told you...I...I'm not looking forward to dating right now-"

"Shh, shh, shh...Here." Shingo handed Mitsumi the rose he was holding right to her face, closing the door where she came from before pinning her against the door with one arm. "A gift from me to you. This blue rose not only symbolizes our love, but also your favorite color...Do you love it?"

Mitsumi had to admit, blue was indeed her favorite color, but right now, because blue was a gift from Shingo, she felt sick to the stomach just looking at the rose, as she held no feelings for him. "Y-yes, I love it! Thank you! But, this still doesn't really change my mind-"

"I know, I know. But, maybe this will help bring my feelings to you?" Shingo closed his eyes and started leaning in, making it clear of his intentions to kiss her.

Instead of leaning right in and kissing back, Mitsumi couldn't hold back the horrific and angered look on her face. Not once has Shingo tried anything this bold, and stupid! Luckily for her, Shingo had his eyes closed the whole time, so he couldn't see her expression, but right now, Mitsumi wanted to rip him in half for even making such a bold move towards her-!

Gritting her teeth, Mitsumi moved forward and then stomped one foot deep into his foot, causing Shingo to stop and throw his head back, shrieking in pain. Trying to make it seem like an accident, Mitsumi pushed forward and laid her body against Shingo's own body, causing the two of them to crash to the floor, with Shingo landing on his back and letting out an "Oof" sound as Mitsumi laid on top of him, pressing the side of her head against his chest.

"I-I'm sorry, Sawatari-san!" apologized Mitsumi, not moving a muscle as her fists tightened while clinging onto Shingo's shirt. "I-I sorta tripped and forced the two of us to fall like this! I'm so sorry!"

"Oof! I had no idea you wanted me so badly, Mitsumi-chan!~" teased Shingo, looking down at her with a cheeky grin on his face. "But I do love this position we're in..."

 _'Resist...Urge...To...Kill...!'_ thought Mitsumi, looking up and smiling at him when all she wants to do is throw him off the rooftop.

"But, if you do want to apologize, then perhaps an apology kiss is in order?" Shingo told her, sitting up.

 _'If I want to apologize, I'll do it after I tear those lips off!'_ Mitsumi wanted to say. Instead, she stood up and shook her head, playing the cowered and shy girl role. "I-I'm sorry! I can't! I'm not ready!" With that said, Mitsumi turned around and ran off, leaving a stunned Shingo alone.

Mitsumi made her way to the girls' bathroom, locking herself in one of the bathroom stalls. Instead of deciding to break the mirror to cool off her frustration, she felt more nauseous and wanted to throw up from her latest encounter with Shingo. She honestly didn't think he'd try and take things that far, and that made her sick to the stomach, literally and figurately speaking! This was the worst encounter of them all, so she decided to leave before actually going through with her original plan to tear apart Shingo.

Pushing her finger to the back of her mouth, Mitsumi tried to make herself throw up as to relieve the aches within her stomach. After a few minutes of feeling like vomit, she actually proceeded to throw up all of the contents from today's lunch right into the toilet. She felt...utterly humiliated and angry from Shingo's attempt at kissing her. Seriously, she would rather kiss Yuya or Gongenzaka than have to kiss Shingo!

Before she could flush the toilet, she felt icy, cold water splash down on her entire body and heard giggles from the two bathroom stalls between the one she was in. She recognized those giggles from anywhere; those familiar giggles from the bullies that oh-so loved to torment her.

"Awww! Is poor little Mitsumi gonna cry?"

"Ewww! I can see vomit all over that toilet! She's really disgusting!"

"Hahaha! Serves the bitch right! That'll teach her not to be more prettier than us!"

Normally, Mitsumi would just be silent and try to ignore the bullies, or be forced to be polite and nice to them in order to keep up her façade, but at the same time, she also resisted the urge to try and throttle them all the same. This time, however, she was already ticked off at Shingo. Add that to her irritation towards her tormentors, and well...it was hard for her not to explode like a volcano.

It took everything out of her not lash out and beat up the bullies, which she knew she had the potential to do so. Instead, all she did was flush the toilet, unlock the bathroom stall, and proceed to leave. While opening the door, she did hear one of her bullies, Kanon, yell at her, before feeling a sharp pain in the back of her head. One of the girls had thrown the cold, empty bucket that had previously been filled with water, at her head. Mitsumi knew that she would receive a bump at the back of her head, but she didn't care as she left the bathroom.

"M-Mitsumi?"

Turning around, Mitsumi saw Shingo in the middle of the hallway. Mitsumi did NOT want to deal with him right now. Actually, she felt like she never wanted to deal with anything involving him anymore. Instead, she forced herself to smile and turned to him. "Sawatari-san? I'm sorry, but I really-"

"Here." Shingo handed her a towel from his pocket. "You look wet. You might need this."

"...Thank you. I'll return this to you tomorrow!" assured Mitsumi, too tired and frustrated to deal with him.

"Ah! Mitsumi-chan! If you need any comfort, then I'm all ears!"

"I...Just you offering is enough," said Mitsumi before leaving, placing the towel on her shoulders to warm herself up. _'I swear, if that idiot says one more thing, I think I'm gonna lose it!'_

* * *

 _Later, at You Show Duel School..._

By the time she arrived at You Show Duel School later, she could hear voices from another room and opened the door. Shuzo, Yuya, and the three little kids, Ayu, Tatsuya, and Futoshi were there, along with a surprise guest; Nico Smiley.

Mitsumi didn't know him too well. All she knew about him was that he was manager to many professional duelists, especially the former champion, Strong Ishijima. She heard long ago that her parents planned for her to have Nico Smiley be her own manager as well once she was older. At the time, she was a child and only a Junior Pro Duelist, only managed to quit after her parents died.

"Ah, Mitsumi! Nice for you to finally join us!" said Yuya. "Huh? You're wet. Did you fall into a river or something?"

"Y-Yeah, something like that," lied Mitsumi, not wanting Yuya and the others to worry. "So, what's going on?"

According to Yuya, Nico Smiley came to offer Yuya a free entrance to the Maiami Championship because he won the exhibition match with Strong Ishijima, according to the Maiami City Duel Association. However, Yuya refused, saying it wasn't really fair and that he wanted to try and win the necessary duels all on his own. Therefore, he requested Nico to arrange four duels for him.

"...I see. So that's what's been going on," muttered Mitsumi.

"Mitsumi! Are you gonna enter the tournament, too?" asked Yuya. "Yuzu's gonna enter, too!"

"What? But...I...I didn't really...plan on entering..."

"Eh?! But, it'll be so much fun with you there!" complained Ayu.

"Yeah, we're participating in the Youth division of the tournament!" informed Tatsuya.

"It'll be a lot of fun if all of the students in You Show Duel School were to participate!" said Futoshi.

"Wait a second..." mumbled Nico. "Mitsumi...where have I heard that name-Oh! You're Mitsumi Nazuno, aren't you?"

"Huh? Yeah," spoke Yuya as Mitsumi internally freaked out. "That's my friend's full name. Why? Do you know her?"

"Why, of course I do! Back, long time ago, she-"

"Ahahahaha! Hey, Mr. Smiley? Why don't we talk in the next room? There's something I wanna ask you that's really important and kind of private!" said Mitsumi quickly, grabbing Nico's arm and dragging him away to another one of the different rooms in the You Show Duel School. "Sorry, everyone! It won't take too long!"

Once they were in a separate, private room, Mitsumi released her grip on Nico, making the older man pull his arm back in pain. "Ow! Miss Nazuno, you've got quite a strong grip-!"

"Just cut the crap and tell me what you want," demanded Mitsumi, glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

Nico flinched at her demanding, sharp tone. "That's a bit harsh, don't you th-"

"Dude, I am NOT having a good day right now. I just had some guy I hate almost kiss me, I had to throw up just to get that disgusting memory out of my head, some bitches came and poured cold water on me before throwing the bucket at my head-"

"That explains the bleeding on the back of your head."

"The back of my-" Mitsumi touched the sensitive bump on her head and felt warm, oozing blood. "Ah, damnit! Now, I'm gonna have to clean that! Anyways, I am not in a good mood today, and if you further piss me off, so help me, I'll-!"

Nico raised his hands, clearly having no intentions of angering her. "I understand, I understand. Teenage life is difficult, I get it. I will...do my best not to anger you."

"Fine, fine. I'm sorry I raised my voice against you. You're not the one at fault," sighed Mitsumi.

"Apology accepted. Now, if you'll permit me to ask you some questions?"

"...Fine."

"As I recall, you used to be a child prodigy in dueling, one of the best, in fact!"

"That was a long time ago, and even though I was a child prodigy, not once did I enjoy it," Mitsumi said, shaking her head.

"So, because you didn't enjoy your life as a Junior Pro Duelist, you quitted?" asked Nico.

"That's right."

"But you could have achieved much more! Sure, Junior Pro Duelists aren't allowed to access the level of Pro Duelist until they've reached the age of 13 and older, but-"

"I'm sorry, but are we talking about YOUR own opinions, or do you just want your questions answered so we can get this over with?" interrupted Mitsumi, growing increasingly annoyed.

Nico cleared his throat. "Once again, my apologies. It seems that I got sidetracked. Anyways, how would you like the opportunity to allow me, Nico Smiley, to be your manager?"

"Pass."

"Eh?!"

"Hey, you tried to ask Yuya to be his manager, didn't you?"

"True...But he turned me down anyways! And besides, I'm a professional manager! I won't double-cross you or anything!"

Crossing her arms, Mitsumi said, "Even if I was interested in returning to my old lifestyle, WHICH I DON'T, I still don't trust you."

"But I'm reliable! I have nothing but the interest of young duelists full of potential, just like-"

"Oh, bullshit. I totally smell a catch. You definitely have a catch with me. Besides, didn't you abandon your manager role with Strong Ishijima?" reminded Mitsumi.

"Oh, that. Well, he went to travel overseas and to get stronger on his own, so now, I have nobody to put my manager role under!" whined Nico. "But the Maiami Championship could be your big chance to return to your former glory-"

"As I said, NO. I'm not interested in the stupid tournament. I don't even want to be a Pro Duelist."

"Hmm...But, it seems from the looks of things, your friends don't even know that you used to be a former Junior Pro Duelist," spoke Nico, thinking out loud. "Perhaps by telling them, they may help convince-EEK!"

Suddenly, Mitsumi grabbed Nico by the collar of his bowtie and pulled him close to her, glaring angrily at him. "If you so much as tell a single soul about my past, I'm gonna do things so bad to you, you'll be crying like a baby not even halfway through this! Which should I start? Break your arm, squeeze your balls-"

"Okay, okay, okay! I can tell that you tend to take your threats too seriously! Your attitude in dueling hasn't changed much when you were but a child!" squeaked Nico as Mitsumi released him. "Whew! And to think I was actually supposed to be chosen to be your manager...Well, if you'll excuse me, I still have a couple of things to talk to with Yuya-kun!"

"Just remember!" called out Mitsumi. "No telling anyone, got it?"

"Yes, yes, you've already taken a few years off my life with those threats of yours," assured Nico before leaving the room.

Rubbing the back of her head once more, Mitsumi hissed in pain from feeling the slight bump wound and the blood on the back of her head. "Gotta head to the bathroom...I think they have a medical aid kit somewhere around here?"

Soon, Mitsumi found herself in the girls bathroom, constantly wiping the back of her head with her hand to sweep away the blood from the bump wound. Whenever she noticed blood in her hands, she would wash it off with water, wipe the back of her head once again, then repeat the simple process. This kept happening until Mitsumi was certain that the wound had stopped bleeding, at which she started to locate the necessary medical supplies inside the first aid kit.

A knock on the girls' bathroom door caused her to stop. "Who is it?" called out Mitsumi.

"Yo! It's your fellow, neighborhood principal!"

"...Shuzo-sensei, this is the girls' bathroom."

"I know! That Nico Smiley guy said that the back of your head was bleeding, so I got worried and wanted to check up on you! Hope that's okay!"

 _'That guy...Still, if that's all he said, then I guess it's fine to let Shuzo-sensei in,'_ thought Mitsumi. "Okay, sensei! Can you come in and help me, please?"

The door opened to Mitsumi's request, and Shuzo stepped in. "Here, let me see that wound of yours and let me bandage it up. It looks like you can't reach it on your own."

Mitsumi nodded. "Thank you..." Standing up straight, she allowed Shuzo to examine her, glancing at her own reflection and Shuzo's actions through the mirror.

Shuzo hissed. "Ooh...that is a pretty bad wound, but nothing I can't fix. This might sting a bit. Is that okay?"

Once again, Mitsumi nodded and allowed Shuzo to begin the healing procedure. The liquid medicine he used stung greatly, but she endured the pain as Shuzo was treating her wound and then bandaging it, leaving a slight white bandage mark on the back of her head.

"Tonight, when you sleep, it should be a bit painful. But from what I've heard, the bump should disappear after a day or two," assured Shuzo. "Best to put some ice in your bump to reduce the swelling."

Mitsumi turned and bowed to Shuzo. "Thank you, Shuzo-sensei. Let's go back to the others now."

"Hang on. There's actually something I wanted to talk to you about," said Shuzo. "Can we talk? For a little bit? Besides, that Nico Smiley guy's too busy chatting with Yuya, so we have some time."

"Talking in the girls bathroom? Okay..."

Shuzo nodded, and his normally friendly expression reverted to that of a serious one. "I know all about you. The real Mitsumi Nazuno. You used to be a child prodigy in dueling, didn't you?"

 _'That motherfucker!'_ Mitsumi thought, wanting to break Nico's neck now. She placed her palms onto the sink counter and squeezed so tightly, her knuckles grew white. Letting her anger out in the form of squeezing something was one of the ways to unleash her fury silently, which was what she was currently doing now.

Shuzo, seeing as Mitsumi had grown silent, continued talking. "Mitsumi Nazuno. Child prodigy at age 4. One of the youngest and most talented Junior Pro Duelists in the world at the time and was well on her way to becoming a Pro Duelist when she grew older. But, after her parents died in an accident, she disappeared from the Pro Dueling world. It's been 10 years ever since, and not once have you ever made a comeback."

"...How long?"

"How long have I known? For a long while. I don't know, more than 1 year?" explained Shuzo. "I confronted your grandmother about this, and she explained the whole story to me. About who you are, your parents, why you quit. She even asked me to keep it a secret from everyone. And.,,there was one more thing."

"...What?"

"You don't belong here. Now, I don't mean to say that in a rude way, but I'm always happy that you attend class," said Shuzo. "It just...feels like you're uninterested, that you're just not into Entertainment Dueling. And it's not just that. That sweet and shy girl I know to be Mitsumi Nazuno...isn't quite the real one I know. Throughout the years, I've felt the real Mitsumi Nazuno come out in small cracks, and right now, I feel like I'm facing the real one right now instead of the fake sweet and shy girl. And that's a shame, because I really like that girl, too. So, why don't you turn and face me so we can talk, for real? I won't get mad, I promise."

Releasing her grip on the bathroom counter, Mitsumi turned to face Shuzo. Instead of her normally sweet, serene, and shy expression, this one was cold and devoid of any positive emotions. This was the true Mitsumi Nazuno, now currently facing Shuzo just as he requested.

"Ah...there she is. I have to say, you are...definitely terrifying," admitted Shuzo, sweatdropping.

"...That asshole, Nico Smiley..." growled Mitsumi. "I told him-! I told him not to say anything!"

"Hey, he didn't say anything!" Shuzo defended. "I found out on my own, long ago! It was an accidental thing, of course. I was looking through the web, and I accidentally stumbled across your name in dueling prodigies, so I asked your grandmother about it, and she told me the whole thing!"

"...Damnit, I thought that hacker took care to erase my records in the web! Just terrific!"

"Wait, you hired a hacker to try and get your name wiped off the web?"

Mitsumi nodded. "Yeah, but apparently, it seems he didn't cover all of the info. Just terrific. So, why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I want you to enter the Maiami Championship."

Mitsumi slammed her hands on the counter. "NO."

"Mitsumi-chan-"

"Don't think that just because we're close to each other, I'm just going to follow everything you say!" Mitsumi shouted, pointing to him. "I just want to live a normal life. I don't mind dueling every now and then, but I have no intentions of returning to be a Pro Duelist! I just want to spend time with my friends and get on with the past!"

"And I get it, but this Championship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," protested Shuzo. "You may not like it, but a lot of people are going to be participating! Including Yuzu and Yuya!"

"I know! It's pretty obvious! And it's also obvious that Gongenzaka will be entering, too. Those who enter have a shot of being a new Pro Duelist," reminded Mitsumi. "That's not for me. I'm happy just to sit on the sidelines and cheer everyone on."

Shuzo nodded. "I know, and I'm not asking you to become a Pro Duelist. Instead, I just want you to take a chance at this. Participate for fun. Many duelists are, anyways. I want you to have fun, Mitsumi. Doesn't it get tiresome having to never duel?"

"Not really, no," sighed Mitsumi. "Look, Yuya and Yuzu are probably going to persuade me to join in, and I do not want to deal with that, so fine. I'll participate, but this'll be the last time I ever participate in a tournament! Understood?"

"Yes, that's fine with me. I just want you to have fun."

"I fail to see how FORCING me to participate is going to be fun," spat Mitsumi. "Ugh, I'm leaving, and I don't even care if I'm skipping classes today!"

Shuzo said, "You couldn't anyways because of I was going to excuse you for your head bump injury. Can I ask something of you, though? Why did you decide to join You Show Duel School?"

"...It was near home," admitted Mitsumi. "Not too far, but not too close, either. And, the main reason was because...Yuzu and Yuya were students there. I..I wanted to be close to them, no matter what. I wanted friends, I wanted freedom, anything that didn't involve my own life! I was never really interested with the whole Entertainment dueling on my own. Not only was I not confident, but I'm pretty sure I'd mess up, you know, with the whole Entertainment thing."

"No, you're wrong. I'd say you've been improving," assured Shuzo. "But to hear you say that you only joined this school for these reasons is...rather relieving and hurtful at the same time. But I get it! You just don't seem eager every time we had class sessions."

Mitsumi sighed. "Sorry, sensei. I was never really interested with Entertainment Dueling, I told you, that."

"...You know, you didn't have to attend this school just to hang out with Yuya and the others," said Shuzo.

"I didn't even want to duel again in my life."

"And I'm sure that Yuya and the others will still-"

"No," said Mitsumi, shaking her head. "Nowadays, everyone wants a friend who can duel. It's just the same everywhere. If you can't duel, you're not interesting enough to them. I've seen it happen a lot to low-rank duelists who are newbies or just plain bad at the game, They're always abandoned by their so-called friends."

"But...you're secretly strong, aren't you?" asked Shuzo. "Wait, back when those LDS guys came to our school, and you dueled one of their students, did you secretly hold back-"

"Even I wouldn't do something like that. That duelist just caught me off guard with that kamikaze move, the idiot! He should have known that an explosion like that would be much damaging!" cursed Mitsumi. "As for me, when I was still a dueling prodigy, my parents forced me into dangerous situations and made me endure a lot of pain. Combine that with my hard gardening and acrobatic skills that I've been building throughout the years, and I was able to endure much of that pain from the explosion."

"That kinda explains how you were able to recover," admitted Shuzo.

"I lost consciousness and was injured for a while, yeah, but eventually, I did recover," said Mitsumi. "I held up this weak front because I didn't want to be seen as the strongest and have expectations on me. You have no idea what it's like, being expected to do things only to fail and then be criticized and feel disappointment onto you."

"Mitsumi..." Shuzo was starting to get an idea of what the dueling prodigy life was like for Mitsumi. If things were too difficult for Mitsumi and they proved too much for her, no wonder she quit when she had the chance.

"So, what are you going to do?" asked Mitsumi. "Go back to Nico Smiley and have him sign some sort of contract, forcing me to become a Pro Duelist or something? Make me into some advertisement for the school?"

"What? No! I'd never do that!" gasped Shuzo, horrified.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's a lie every corrupt teacher would say."

"Mitsumi...you don't really believe I would do such a thing, would you? I mean, I didn't even hand over the school to LDS, for one!"

"True, but with enough influence and money, even the most kindhearted person would change. Trust me, when I was still a Junior Pro Duelist, you better believe that I had run-ins with some of the most wicked, corrupt, manipulating bastards in the world. They bribed my parents, who then forced me to throw matches, do humiliating things, and even be on TV commercials. I'm sorry, Shuzo-sensei, I want to trust you, but I'm not sure what'll happen between us now that you know my past."

"Mitsumi..." Shuzo placed a hand on her shoulder. "I swear, I will never force you to do awful things. I mean, I told you before that I knew who you were long ago. If I was truly a terrible person, wouldn't I have done such things earlier?"

"...True. I just...I just want to live a normal, quiet life," sighed Mitsumi. "I don't even care if I become the worst duelist in history! I just want to go to school, have fun with Yuya and the others even if I don't really like Entertainment Dueling, and stay out of trouble! Maybe I'll be a baker and support Yuya in the sidelines, I don't know! I just want to stop bringing up the past!"

"I understand that. Like I said, I won't force you to do awful things, but hear me out," said Shuzo. "I would really like if you participated in the Maiami Championship, not because it might make you a Pro Duelist, but if only to spend more time with Yuya and the others. I'm sure Yuya and the others wanted you to come along, right?"

"...Yeah, they did...Alright, fine!" sighed Mitsumi. "I didn't plan to, but...I guess it won't be too bad. For some reason, I've been feeling for the dueling mood, and I may have to coach Yuya a little bit on what it means to be a Pro Duelist. I mean, Junior Pro Duelist and Pro Duelist's lives are different, but not so much. And there is a chance I may have to duel Yuya, so I guess I'll test him."

"Yay! All of You Show Duel students are participating!" cheered Shuzo.

"But! I don't plan on winning the tournament! This is purely for fun and to help Yuya! I'll probably forfeit or just see how far I can go from here," said Mitsumi. "Even if I do manage to get to one of the top rounds, I'll just forfeit or something. I do not plan on winning."

"That's fine, so long as you have fun and hang out with your friends!" said Shuzo. "But wait...don't you need like a 60% win rate with 50 or more matches? With all of your 'pretending,' you-"

"Yeah, I don't have enough. But there's another way you can enlist," informed Mitsumi. "If you win 6 straight, official matches, you can get in. And it looks like I'll have to speak to that Smiley guy...Great."

"Well, let's go-"

"Hang on!" said Mitsumi. "Remember, you can't tell Yuya and the others anything about my past! I don't want them to know!"

Shuzo nodded. "Of course. I won't tell. But, Mitsumi-chan, you should tell them yourself. It'll be so much more easier letting the truth out than hiding it."

"...For me, it's better to hide the truth than risk having others use me for their own benefit," sighed Mitsumi. "I can think of some people who easily fit that category...A certain blond-browned haired prick, to be exact..."

"Well, regardless, the decision is yours," said Shuzo. "Oh, and Mitsumi-chan?"

"Yeah?"

"I like your other self, the shy and sweet one, and I still do, in a way. But seeing the real you, being so much more mature despite holding a snarky and cold personality...it feels a lot more relieving. Maybe you should let that side out more often."

"..."

* * *

 **Read and review!**


	13. Magical Madness

**Sorry, guys! I know it's been a long while since I updated this, but I'm back and more vigorated than ever about all this! Now, let's continue, starting with the start of Mitsumi-chan's official duels because after some thinking, I thought, why not reveal all of her six official duels?**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own the Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"Once again, Miss Nazuno, I thank you for changing your mind and-"

"I would like to point out that I don't and still don't want to do this, and if I had my way, I wouldn't even be _thinking_ of doing this whole stupid tournament thing. Ugh, let's just get this over with."

Mitsumi, who was accompanying Nico to her first official match that he managed to set up, found herself alongside the dueling manager in front of one of the many Dueling Schools in the city. More specifically, they were in front of the entrance of the Magical Mayhem Duel School, where Mitsumi's first official match would take place inside.

"So, who's my opponent?" asked Mitsumi, opening the door for him, which he nodded in thanks as he entered first.

"Maho Katadama," answered Nico as they walked down the hallway. "He's the best, top-ranked duelist in this school, so naturally, I thought it best that he'd be your opponent, to warn you up since you haven't dueled tough, tournament-like opponents in a long time!"

"Well, alright. This school specializes in Spellcaster-Types, I take it?"

"Yes, quite so! After all, it's practically a school for magicians-in-training!"

Mitsumi sighed. "Yup. I guess Yuya would love this kind of school. Alright, let's get going."

The two of them entered through some more doors, finding themselves in the center of a large stage, where surrounding them was a huge audience, presumably bystanders and students from the Magical Mayhem Duel School. The spotlight turned its attention onto a student wearing a magician's hat and cloak, and Mitsumi could only guess since nobody else was around, that that very student was her opponent, Maho Katadama.

"Welcome, one and all, to another magnificent performance!" cheered Maho. "I'm Maho Katadama, your starred magician, and today, I will entertain you all by dueling my next, newest opponent! Please give a warm welcome to my opponent, this young lady right here!"

The audience applauded as the spotlight changed from Maho to Mitsumi, drawing attention towards her. Awkwardly, Mitsumi raised a hand and waved to the audience, giving off an awkward smile. It seems that yet again, she'll have to put up the façade of the cute and shy girl that she knew deep down, she never was, but have to be at the moment.

"M-My name is Mitsumi Nazuno! It's a honor to be dueling the top student of Magical Mayhem Duel School!" said Mitsumi, bowing her head.

"A pleasure, indeed! Now, why don't we get this duel started?" said Maho, snapping his fingers before sitting down on a swing that raised him up in the air. "Duelists locked in battle!"

 _'I really don't get why we have to do that incantation every single time,'_ thought Mitsumi before complying. "Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters!"

"They storm through this field!" the rest of the audience cheered. "Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling! Actioooonnnn-!"

"DUEL!"

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Maho - 4000 LP**

"I'll let you go first, milady!" offered Maho, tipping his hat towards her as the Action Field Spell, Mysterious Magic, took effect, coating the entire arena-like field in a set of a magician's wonderland, designed for a magician's usage.

 _'I really hope he's not some sort of generic version of Shingo. I REALLY hope not. I don't want to deal with Shingo #2. Then again, I should take his kind offer,'_ thought Mitsumi. "Okay! I summon Gishki Chain in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Chain - (WATER/Sea Serpent) - LV4 - (1800/1000)

"When he's Normal Summoned, I get to look at the top 3 cards in my deck, and if there's a Ritual Monster or Spell amongst them, I get to add it to my hand, and then I get to place any remaining cards back to the top of my deck in any order I wish. ...I add Gishki Photomirror to my hand and place the rest back to my deck!"

"Ritual, huh? That's quite interesting, milady, because there's hardly anyone who uses Rituals these days," commented Maho.

"There's...literally other Duel Schools specialized in that," informed Mitsumi. "And, LDS does have a course on that, but it's a minor class, and it's not really required."

"I see! Interesting! Well, finish your turn, and I'll show you the start of my performance, especially because you're the special guest of the day!"

Mitsumi nodded and glanced down at the remaining cards in her hands. "I set a card facedown and end my turn!"

"Hmm...Alright, then let's get the show started!" said Maho, drawing his card. "I'll start with summoning my signature card, Aleister the Invoker!"

Aleister the Invoker - (DARK/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

"Fun fact! If Aleister is Normal Summoned, then I get to add 1 Invocation from my deck to my hand! Now, here's the next, exciting part of the show! I activate Invocation! Using Monsters from my hand to Fusion Summon, I Fusion Summon 1 Monster from my Extra Deck! I, using Aqua Spirit from my hand, and banishing Aleister on my field, Fusion Summon Invoked Cocytus in Defense Mode!"

Invoked Cocytus - (WATER/Dragon/Fusion) - LV6 - (1800/2900)

 _'Fusion Summoning, huh? And his Monster's defensive skills are no joke. It looks like I'll have to summon Zielgigas and increase his power before taking him on,'_ thought Mitsumi, making strategies in her mind for defeating the tough, defensive monster.

"I'd like to say something!" said Maho. "Since Invocation is now in the Graveyard, I can target my banished Aleister, shuffle Invocation back into my deck, and then add Aleister into my hand!"

 _'Shit! That's bad! That means that on his next turn, he can just Normal Summon that Monster again, thus adding Invocation back to his hand. And that'll mean he'll have more opportunities to Fusion Summon!'_ thought Mitsumi. _'I'll have to find a way to force him to discard Invocation or something-No, I have to banish it!'_

"Just to let you know, Invoked Cocytus can attack your Monster even when he's in Defense Mode!" called out Maho. "Compared to my Monster's 2900 Attack Points and your Monster's 1800, it's clear who'll be the victor in this Battle Phase! Now, attack!"

As the dragon flapped its wings and soar towards Gishki Chain, Mitsumi ran across the stage in search for an Action Card while activating her facedown card. "I activate Poseidon Wave! When your Monster declares an attack, I can target it, and negate the attack, and if I do, you get hit 800 Points of Damage for every face-up Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type I control!"

"I counter with Invoked Cocytus' effect!" said Maho. "He can't be destroyed nor targeted with card effects! So sorry!"

 _'Crap!'_ Mitsumi thought before spotting her Gishki Chain capturing an Action Card with his chain and tossing it towards her before exploding from being hit by the Invoked Cocytus' impact attack.

 **Mitsumi - 2900 LP**

 **Maho - 4000 LP**

"Hmm...I guess I'll end my turn with that!"

Mitsumi let out a sigh of relief before drawing, knowing that the battle has only gotten started. _'I have to admit, Nico's pretty shrewd at times, picking this guy to be my opponent, but I'm also warming up, too!'_ "I draw! I summon Gishki Beast from my hand in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Beast - (WATER/Beast) - LV4 - (1500/1300)

"When he's Normal Summoned, I get to target a Level 4 or lower Gishki Monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it in Defense Mode!"

Gishki Chain - (WATER/Sea Serpent) - LV4 - (1800/1000)

"Now, I play the Ritual Spell, Gishki Photomirror, and sacrifice Gishki Beast in order to Ritual Summon Gishki Psychelone in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (2150/1650)

"But, in exchange for using Gishki Photomirror, I have to pay Life Points equal to the level of the Ritual Summoned Monster x 500!"

 **Mitsumi - 900 LP**

 **Maho - 4000 LP**

"That's a bit cost loss! You're almost out of Life Points!" said Maho, surprised. "Awww, and I wanted to play around some more, too!"

"Believe me, it's not like I wanted this, either," muttered Mitsumi. "But it's well worth it! I now activate Gishki Psychelone's effect! I now declare a Spellcaster-Type and the DARK Attribute! Now, I get to look at one random card in your hand! I choose the one in the far left."

Maho picked up said card and revealed it to her, which happened to be his signature card, Aleister the Invoker. "So, what happens now? What magic trick do you intend on showing me and the audience?"

 _'As shitty as my parents were, they at least gave me a good few tips for this special occasion; always keep track of which cards are in your opponent's hand,'_ Mitsumi thought. "Since I declared the correct Type and Attribute, you have to shuffle your Aleister Monster back into the deck!"

Maho's eyes went wide. "But that means-!"

"That's right. Without Aleister, you can't bring back Invocation to your hand next turn if you can't summon him from your hand. That means your chances of Fusion Summoning next turn are much lesser now."

Maho threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, man! I didn't think I'd get cornered like this so quickly! It looks like your gamble's paid off, milady! Alright, I'll do what you asked! Nice job, by the way! But, just know that I've got more tricks up my sleeve!"

"I can imagine," Mitsumi muttered.

"Well, even if you got rid of my Aleister, there's no denying the fact that my Invoked Cocytus is still the strongest Monster on the field!"

"I'm gonna Reverse Uno that."

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, I have a countermeasure for that," Mitsumi said. "You see, right before my Gishki Chain got destroyed the first time, he managed to snatch an Action Card for me, and I'm gonna use it right now! I activate the Action Card, Confetti Catastrophe! Now, I increase Psychelone's Attack Points by 1000 for the Battle Phase only this turn!"

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (3150/1650)

"Attack now, Psychelone! Destroy his Fusion Monster!"

"Shoot! Oh, no!" cried out Maho, swinging around in the air in search for an Action Card mid-air. He spotted one and leapt off his swing to grab it, only for Gishki Chain's chain weapon to snag it first. The audience cried out as it seemed Maho was falling to his death, but right before Psychelone's attack made contract with Invoked Cocytus, the water dragon allowed his master to slide off from the top of his head down to its tail like an actual playground slide before being destroyed, forcing Maho to be on the same ground level as Mitsumi and lose some Life Points.

 **Mitsumi - 900 LP**

 **Maho - 3750 LP**

"I set a card and end my turn!" decided Mitsumi. "At this time, Psychelone's Attack Points return to normal!"

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (2150/1650)

Maho applauded for her. "Okay! This is getting really interesting! You took down my best defensive Monster, but if you think that's my strongest Monster, then you're sadly mistaken! I draw! I activate the Spell, Re-Fusion! I pay 800 Life Points to target a Fusion Monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it before equipping it with Re-Fusion! I bring back Invoked Cocytus!"

Invoked Cocytus - (WATER/Dragon/Fusion) - LV6 - (1800/2900)

 **Mitsumi - 900 LP**

 **Maho - 2950 LP**

 _'Crap! He got out that big-time Monster again!'_ thought Mitsumi. _'Wait, he placed it in Attack Mode, though. Did he make a mistake, or is he trying something new this time?'_

"Hmm...it would be quite boring if I had to use the same Monster, so instead, let's settle for an even stronger, amazing Monster!" decided Maho. "I set a card, then activate the Quick-Play Spell, The Book of the Law! I Tribute 1 Invoked Monster to Special Summon an Invoked Monster from my Extra Deck with a different, original Attribute than that Monster, and the best news is that this counts as a Fusion Summon! I sacrifice Cocytus to bring a more, splendid, powerful Monster! Invoked Purgatrio!"

Invoked Purgatrio - (FIRE/Fiend/Fusion) - LV7 - (2300/2000)

"For every card that I control, Purgatrio gains 200 extra Attack Points, including itself! There's two cards on the field that I control, so that's a total of 400 extra Attack Points!"

Invoked Purgatrio - (FIRE/Fiend/Fusion) - LV7 - (2700/2000)

"Purgatrio's effect is that he can attack all of your Monsters once each turn! I'll start with your Gishki Psychelone! Purgatrio, go! Show off some spectacular fireworks in your finishing move!"

The ghastly FIRE Attribute Monster charged towards Psychelone, bearing fiery fangs as it opened its jaws, prepared to devour the Fiend-Type Monster. Luckily, Mitsumi was prepared for that as she activated her facedown card.

"Trap activate! Draining Shield! Your Monster's attack is negated, and I gain Life Points equal to your Monster's Attack Points!"

 **Mitsumi - 3600 LP**

 **Maho - 2950 LP**

"Aww, man! I was hoping to take out at least that Monster!" complained Maho before focusing his attention on Mitsumi's other Monster. "Oh, well! At least I can take out your other Monster, at least! Go, Purgatrio!"

"I'm activating the Action Card, Miracle!" countered Mitsumi. "I target Gishki Chain! He can't be destroyed in battle, and any Battle Damage is halved!"

"Fine, he won't go out with a bang, but I can still deal some damage to you!" Maho said. "Purgatrio has another effect! It can inflict piercing battle damage if it attacks a Monster in Defense Mode!"

A glass-like barrier coated over Gishki Chain, deflecting Purgatrio's attack, yet still causing damage to Mitsumi's Life Points even by halved.

 **Mitsumi - 2750 LP**

 **Maho - 2950 LP**

"I end my turn!"

"My turn!" Mitsumi said, drawing her card. "I summon Gishki Emilia in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Emilia - (WATER/Spellcaster/Spirit) - LV4 - (1600/800)

"When Gishki Emilia is Normal Summoned, and if I control another face-up Gishki Monster, all Trap cards on the field are negated until the End Phase!"

Maho glanced down at his facedown card; an expression of relief printed on his face that Mitsumi didn't miss. Judging from Maho's relieved reaction, that indicated that the facedown card wasn't a Trap card, but rather a Spell card. Mitsumi didn't know whether it was a Continuous, Normal, or Quick-Play Spell card, but for now, she knew the chances of the facedown being a Spell card was most likely.

"I discard Gishki Shadow from my hand to add a Gishki Ritual Spell from my deck into my hand," continued Mitsumi. "I add Gishki Aquamirror to my hand, and now, I activate it! I, sacrificing Gishki Chain and Gishki Emilia, to Ritual Summon the Level 8 Evigishki Soul Ogre!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (2800/2800)

 _'If I had anymore cards remaining, I would have already activate Soul Ogre's effect to discard that card to shuffle his Fusion Monster back to the Extra Deck,'_ thought Mitsumi. "Okay, I attack!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre took a firm stance and started charging up a water-like beam from his jaws, preparing to strike down Invoked Purgatrio.

"I activate my Quick-Play Spell, The Book of the Law!" announced Maho. "That's right, folks! It's time for a brand new Invoked Monster to take the place of my Invoked Purgatrio! In case you all forgot the effect of The Book of the Law, here's how it goes yet again! I sacrifice 1 Invoked Monster to Special Summon an Invoked Monster from my Extra Deck with a different, original Attribute than that Monster, and it also counts as a Fusion Summon! I sacrifice Invoked Purgatrio to bring out Invoked Magellanica!"

Invoked Magellanica - (EARTH/Rock/Fusion) - LV8 - (3000/3300)

Before Mitsumi could do anything, it was far too late as Evigishki Soul Ogre fired off his beam, only to be deflected by the enlarged hand of the Invoked titan-like Monster. That very same hand crushed the Ritual Monster before he could even defend himself, defeating Mitsumi's currently strongest Monster.

 **Mitsumi - 2550 LP**

 **Maho - 2950 LP**

Invoked Magellanica lowered his palm to allow Maho to ride onto it before Maho himself leapt off and sat on his giant Monster's shoulder. "I'll have to admit, milady, you had me on the ropes for a second, but you did well helping me with my next act!"

"Oh, I'm just glad to see another, wonderful, powerful Monster of yours!" perked Mitsumi. _'Damnit! I should have been more cautious! For now, I have to play defense!'_ "I switch Gishki Psychelone to Defense Mode and end my turn."

"My turn!" said Maho. "I activate the Spell, Magical Stone Excavation! I discard two card from my hand to bring back a Spell from my Graveyard!"

 _'Is he going to bring back The Book of the Law? Or maybe Re-Fusion?'_ thought Mitsumi.

"I bring back Re-Fusion back from the Graveyard and activate it! I pay 800 Life Points to target a Fusion Monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it before equipping it with Re-Fusion! I bring back Invoked Cocytus in Defense Mode!"

Invoked Cocytus - (WATER/Dragon/Fusion) - LV6 - (1800/2900)

 **Mitsumi - 2550 LP**

 **Maho - 2150 LP**

Hearing the audience gasp in awe and applaud at the sight of the two almighty powerful monsters made Maho grin brightly as he raised his arms in the air. "Behold, everyone! Two grand monsters all to gaze upon! The aquatic dragon and the titan monster side-by-side! Never, have two powerful..."

While Maho was making a show and complimenting his Monsters in a proud manner, Mitsumi took the chance to search for an Action Card. First, she leapt high in the air thanks to Gishki Psychelone thrusting her upwards, prompting her to catch one of the rings floating mid-air. She maneuvered her way through the air using the Field Spell's tools, such as floating rings, bouncing balloons, and so forth until she spotted an Action Card.

Only after Mitsumi snatched an Action Card did Maho finally take notice of her. "Hey!" whined Maho as Mitsumi sat on top of one of the balloons. "That's not fair, trying to snatch an Action Card during my monologue!"

 _'Maybe if you didn't spend half of your time bragging to the audience, you wouldn't be complaining,'_ thought Mitsumi, annoyed. _'Still, at least he's better than Shingo. The guy would probably spend half an hour talking about himself.'_

Maho cleared his throat and said, "Anyways, back to the duel! Before I attack, I will activate the Spell, Card Rotator! By sending 1 card from my hand to the Graveyard, I will now change the battle positions of all Monsters you control!"

Mitsumi glanced down and saw how her Gishki Psychelone was forced to change from Defense Mode to Attack Mode. Considering the strength of Maho's two Fusion Monsters, if she didn't act quick, then she wouldn't survive the full extent of Maho's brutal strength this turn.

"I think I'll start the next act by having my Invoked Magellanica attack your Gishki Psychelone! Now, go forth and slammed through, Magellanica!" ordered Maho.

Seeing the giant titan-like Monster's fist descending onto Gishki Psychelone, Mitsumi awaited for her timing before taking action. "I activate the Action Card, Overpass! When a Monster I control battles another opponent's Monster, both of our Monster's Attack Points switch until the end of the Battle Phase!"

Invoked Magellanica - (EARTH/Rock/Fusion) - LV8 - (2150/3300)

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (3000/1650)

At that moment, a large explosion erupted in the area and smoke filled the center of the audience. A few brief moments afterwards, the smoke cleared, and everything was at a standstill...until Invoked Magellanica crumbled into pieces and Gishki Psychelone was emitting a blue aura, powering her up temporarily.

 **Mitsumi - 2550 LP**

 **Maho - 1300 LP**

Maho was seen standing on top of his other Invoked Fusion Monster, Invoked Cocytus, panting with a grin on his face as sweat dripped from his forehead, something he noticed as he took out his handkerchief to wipe off the sweat. "Whew! If I had remained there a second longer...er...I'd rather not think about it!"

"What are you going to do now?" called out Mitsumi.

"Well, that Action Card you just played increased your Monster's power until the end of the Battle Phase, right? As tough as my Cocytus is, I doubt he can take on your Monster now. In fact, I'll end my turn!"

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (2150/1650)

Mitsumi drew her card. "I draw! I activate the effect of Gishki Aquamirror from my Graveyard! I shuffle that card from the Graveyard to the deck to target a Gishki Ritual Monster in my Graveyard! Then, I return that target to my hand! I bring back Evigishki Soul Ogre back to my hand! I then activate the Spell, Salvage from my hand! I target 2 WATER Monsters with 1500 or less Attack Points in my Graveyard and add them to my hand! I add Gishki Beast and Gishki Shadow back to my hand! I now summon Gishki Beast to the field!"

Gishki Beast - (WATER/Beast) - LV4 - (1500/1300)

"When he's Normal Summoned, I get to target a Level 4 or lower Gishki Monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it in Defense Mode!"

Gishki Chain - (WATER/Sea Serpent) - LV4 - (1800/1000)

"I now activate Gishki Shadow's effect and discard him to add a Ritual Spell card to my hand, which is another Gishki Aquamirror! I activate it and Tribute both Gishki Beast and Chain to Ritual Summon Evigishki Soul Ogre!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (2800/2800)

"Your Monster is quite powerful, indeed! But even so, he cannot penetrate through my Monster's lustrous defenses!" bragged Maho confidently.

 _'Dude, that sounded wrong in so many ways!'_ thought Mitsumi, suppressing a smirk as she rushed around, trying to find an Action Card once more. Realizing her intention, Maho decided to do the same as well, with both finding and picking up an Action Card of their own a minute later.

"An Action Trap?!" cried out Maho before reading the card out loud. "Zero Gravity?! Oh no! This effectively reduces the Attack and Defense Points of one Monster I control!"

Invoked Cocytus - (WATER/Dragon/Fusion) - LV6 - (0/0)

"Huh. Guess I don't need to use this Action Card, after all," commented Mitsumi. "Soul Ogre! Finish him off!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre blasted a full-powered hydro geyser-like beam from his jaws, blasting Invoked Cocytus straight on before the WATER Attribute dragon could try and defend, letting out one final roar before being destroyed. Seeing Maho falling and frailing his arms around prompt Mitsumi to action as she rushed over and caught the magician-in-training in her arms successfully, landing successfully as the spotlight now shined on them.

 **Mitsumi - 2550 LP**

 **Maho - 0 LP**

 **Winner: Mitsumi**

The audience applauded and cheered upon witnessing a fantastic performance duel, even whistling and standing up for the two duelists after seeing them duel with everything they had. Mitsumi placed Maho down onto his feet as Maho put a hand on his chest and let out a deep breath.

"Whew! That was a close one! Thanks for catching me, by the way!" thanked Maho, grinning. "If we were opposite genders, I think I would have fallen head-over-heels for ya!"

"Yeah, I don't really need another fanboy, thank you," said Mitsumi.

"But, man! I was so close! If we waited a few more turns, I could have summoned out more of my powerful Invocated Fusion Monsters! Especially Elysium!"

"Well, maybe some more training will do the trick? And maybe try not to be so reckless with your moves?"

Maho nodded. "Yeah, that's what my teachers keep telling me. Less talking, more actions! But I can't help it!~ Anyways, good duel!" He offered his hand to her, something Mitsumi took as she shook it. "Ooh. Tough grip. Kinda makes sense, seeing as you caught me!"

"I...thank you."

* * *

 _Later..._

Mitsumi was wandering down the harbor, clutching onto the mysterious card in her hand; The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin. She had found this card in the warehouse where she and Yuzu confronted Shingo and when that mysterious masked duelist saved them. She assumed that this card belonged to the masked duelist because his deck's Archetype was Phantom Knights, something she was unfamiliar with but assumed that it was probably another XYZ archetype.

She had planned on returning this card back to its original owner because it was the right thing to do, but so far, she hadn't had any leads. She had no idea which Dueling School the masked duelist came from, otherwise, she would have headed right over, requested for the masked duelist, and would have given the card back to him personally. If she couldn't find him soon, then it'd be inevitable that she'd have to keep the card to herself. Well, it wouldn't be so bad to keep another XYZ Monster card for herself...

Suddenly, she hit a warm mass and fell on her behind, dropping the card she was holding. "Oof!" she grunted, sitting up properly. She glanced up and saw a stranger in a dark trench coat, sunglasses, and a red scarf covering his mouth. "S-Sorry about that, sir."

"..." The stranger merely gave her a sharp glare before looking away, only for his eyes to widen and for him to turn around; his attention now on the card she had dropped. Swiftly, he reached out and grabbed it, examining it with wide eyes. His eyes narrowed before he reached out again, this time grasping Mitsumi by the front of her shirt and holding her up in the air roughly.

"H-Hey!"

"Where did you get this?" the stranger demanded, holding up The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin card in his free hand and showing it to her.

"I-What?"

"Don't make me repeat myself! Where. Did. You. Get. Th-"

Suddenly, a loud yell interrupted their conversation before the stranger was tackled from the side, forcing him to drop both Mitsumi and the card. Mitsumi saw the stranger struggling to break free from Gongenzaka's grip as he held the stranger down on the ground.

"Gongenzaka!" cried out Mitsumi, sneakily taking back the card the stranger had stolen from.

"Mitsumi! Go! Call for help!" ordered Gongenzaka.

"Damnit, lemme go! I said, let me go!" The stranger seemed to, for some reason, be reaching for some button in his duel disk.

Sensing something terrible might happen, Mitsumi rushed over and kicked the stranger in the side of the head before slamming the heel of her foot down on his duel disk arm. While this wasn't enough to knock out the stranger, it was enough to cause him sufficient pain and for him to be dazed for a few seconds.

Mitsumi grabbed Gongenzaka by the arm and pulled him back, something Gongenzaka complied as he got up and the two started running, yelling for help. Their cries attracted some policemen on patrol, who took the two of them inside a nearby police station for safety. A few hours later, upon receiving their statements, the two of them were given a ride home, and an investigation to the mysterious stranger would soon take place.

That night, when everything was all calm and alright, Mitsumi began chatting with her friends on her D-Pad; Yuya, Sora, Yuzu, and her savior of the day, Gongenzaka.

 **"Eeh?! That really happened, Mitsumi?"** exclaimed Yuya.

 **"Yes, I, the man, Gongenzaka, was there! That scoundrel was holding Mitsumi up in the air rather in a threatening manner!"**

Mitsumi nodded. "Yeah, thank you for saving me, Gongenzaka!"

 **"It was no trouble at all! Any true friend would do the same! But did you have to hurt that man, too?"**

 **"Uh, hurt? What are you talking about?"** wondered Yuzu.

"I-I panicked! I thought he was going to hurt you, Gongenzaka!" said Mitsumi. "Besides, the police said that it was classified as self-defense, so I was well within my rights to do so!"

 **"Well, if it's self-defense, there's nothing we can do about it,"** replied Sora. **"I wish I was there! I wanna see some action!"**

 **"As long as everyone's alright, then that's all it matters!"** said Yuya. **"Speaking of which, I won my first duel today! Tomorrow, I'm supposed to be up against some quiz guy, I think? Anyways, I'm watching a quiz show right now, and...IT'S SO BORING!"**

"Do you even know what kind of quiz is going to be on tomorrow?" wondered Mitsumi.

 **"No, but Nico said that my next opponent is a pro on quizzes! It could be anything!"**

"How about we talk some more and I can help you with the quiz?"

 **"Oh, yeah! Right! You're great on quizzes! Thanks, you're a miracle, Mitsumi!"**

 **"Yeah, I'm out. It sounds like it's gonna get boring,"** yawned Sora. **"Yuzu, remember, we still have Fusion Summoning training!"**

 **"R-Right! Well, goodnight, everyone!"**

 **"I, the man, Gongenzaka, should also get some rest as well! Stay safe, everyone!"**

"Alright, goodnight, everyone! Alright, Yuya, what quiz show are you watching? Like, what topic is it based on?"

 **"History."**

"Great! Let's get started!"

* * *

 **Well, this is a sort of a good place to end, and on the very last day of 2019, too! I'll try and update the next chapter soon, so read and review! Any ideas for this story is accepted as well!**


	14. Graceful Garden

**Glad to see that some people are really glad that I'm back on this fanfic! Well, it's only for a little bit, but like I said, I'll try and upload the official duels that Mitsumi will need to win! With that said, let's continue!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"Uh...what's this?" wondered Mitsumi, being handed a list given to her by Nico the next morning as they met in front of her house.

"This is a schedule that I've written up involving your duels for today. There was a slight...change of events and now today, you'll have to deal with three matches," explained Nico.

"Whoa, whoa! Three matches in one day? I thought it was like, one match per day?"

"Yes, but the duelists contacted me and requested a change, so you'll have to deal with this. Meanwhile, I have somewhere to be at the moment! Good luck!"

"Wait, you're not coming with me?" asked Mitsumi. "I mean, not that I'm complaining."

Nico pouted, placing his hands on his hips. "You know, you could at least pretend to care!"

"Oh, so you wanted me to lie."

"I-That's not-! Never mind! Anyways, I have to go pick up young Yuya to his next match! He's going to have a headache dealing with that upcoming quiz duel!"

"Oh yeah, I kinda helped him study for that last night," muttered Mitsumi. "Well, see you tomorrow then, Mr. Smiley."

"Well, if I do have time, I will come and see your matches personally! Until then, good luck!" chirped Nico before leaving, whistling a tune to himself.

Glancing down at the list she was given, Mitsumi eyed her first duel of the day. Apparently, she had to head towards a Dueling School called Gardenia Burst Duel School, an all-female Dueling School that specializes specifically on Plant, Rock, Insect, and ROCK-Attribute dueling. This one took place in the morning, approximately one hour from now, whereas the other duels took place somewhere in the afternoon. For now, she'll focus on her morning duel and head towards the all-female Dueling School.

Her name was immediately recognized as part of an appointed official duel when Mitsumi spoke to the worker behind the counter inside the Gardenia Burst Duel School. Mitsumi was then escorted by another female employee towards where the dueling stage would take place, along where her opponent would be at. Glancing around, Mitsumi realized that this place truly did resemble a tropical garden, with many kinds of flowers and plants all over and the entire Dueling School acting like a greenhouse.

The dueling stage Mitsumi was sent to was a large, grass-like field with trees and plants surrounding on the outskirts of the dueling stage. From across her was her opponent, Gardenia Burst Duel School's top student, Sakura Midorino, who bowed politely to her and activated her D-Pad.

"Shall we get started?" asked Sakura, giving Mitsumi a smile. "I'm Sakura Midorino, this school's top student. I hope you won't take your loss too seriously."

"It's fine," assured Mitsumi, also bowing back to Sakura. "My name is Mitsumi Nazuno, a pleasure to meet you and an honor to duel this school's top duelist. Let's both do our best."

The audience around the dueling stage began the Action Duel incantation. "Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their monsters," said Sakura softly.

"They storm through this field," Mitsumi said plainly, not bothering to exaggerate the sentence. After all, if Sakura wasn't, why should she yell it out loud like all the others?

The audience finished the last of the incantation. "Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling! Actioooonnn-!"

"DUEL!"

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Sakura - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

The dueling field changed to that of the chosen Action Field Spell; Eden's Garden. Countless elegant and colorful kinds of flowers swarmed the entire field as the two female duelists found themselves in a forest with many trees, and even the trees themselves were as elegant as the flowers, making the setting fitting for a fantasy land or a perfect picnic spot.

"Well, shall we begin? Will you go first? Or do you wish for me to?" asked Sakura.

 _'I'll get more advantages if I go for my second turn, and I'll get to see what kind of deck she has, so I'll let her go first,'_ thought Mitsumi. "I'll let you go first, Midorino-san."

"Thank you, and please, you may call me Sakura. What would you like me to refer to you as?"

"You can call me Mitsumi, if you want, since you were nice enough to allow me to call you by your first name."

Sakura nodded. "Very well. I draw! I activate the Continuous Spell, Aroma Gardening! And now, I summon Aromage Rosemary!"

Aromage Rosemary - (WATER/Plant) - LV4 - (1800/700)

"And now, the effect of my Aroma Gardening now activates. Whenever I Normal Summon or Special Summon an Aroma Monster, I gain 1000 Life Points."

 **Sakura - 5000 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 _'It's only been the first turn, and she's already got a lead start on her Life Points!'_ thought Mitsumi, surprised.

"I believe I will end my turn with one facedown card," finished Sakura, bowing her head slightly.

"My turn!" said Mitsumi. "I activate the Ritual Spell, Gishki Aquamirror! I sacrifice Gishki Mollusk and Gishki Reliever in order to Ritual Summon Evigishki Gustkraken!"

Evigishki Gustkraken - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV6 - (2400/1000)

"When Gustkraken is Ritual Summoned, I get to look up to 2 random cards in your hand, and I get to shuffle one of them into the deck. So, I'll look at those two cards right there!"

Sakura pulled out two cards from her hand and showed them to Mitsumi, revealing them to be Aromage Cananga and Rainbow Life. "Which one will you choose?"

"...I choose Rainbow Life," decided Mitsumi, causing Sakura to shuffle the card back into the deck. "Now then, Gishki Mollusk's effect activates. When he's sent to the Graveyard through a card effect, I get to check the top 2 cards of my deck, and then return them all to the top or bottom of the deck in any order." She did as the effect required her to do, and then placed the three top cards at the bottom of her deck. "I summon Gishki Beast from my hand in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Beast - (WATER/Beast) - LV4 - (1500/1300)

"Because of his effect, when he's Normal Summoned, I can target a Level 4 or lower Gishki Monster from my Graveyard and then Special Summon that target in face-up Defense Mode. I choose Gishki Mollusk!"

Gishki Mollusk - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (1700/900)

"I Overlay Gishki Beast and Mollusk to build the Overlay Network! I XYZ Summon Evigishki Merrowgeist!"

Evigishki Merrowgeist - (WATER/Aqua/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2100/1600)

"Brilliant effort," praised Sakura, applauding for Mitsumi. "A Ritual and an XYZ Summoning in one turn. That's not something you see everyday. Oh, pardon me, but I'll let you continue your turn."

Mitsumi nodded. "Alright, Merrowgeist! Attack Rosemary!"

Merrowgeist sprung into the air and swooped down onto Aromage Rosemary, slashing through her body with a single swing of her weapon.

 **Sakura - 4700 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"Now, I attack directly with Evigishki Gustkraken!"

Evigishki Gustkraken backed away for distance before summoning forth heavy winds down onto Sakura, who grimaced and held onto a tree nearby as she was forced to take a direct hit head on.

 **Sakura - 2300 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"...I set a card and end my turn," said Mitsumi. _'What's going on? Why didn't she try and defend herself? Or at least try and find an Action Card? Could she deliberately be wanting me to lower her Life Points?'_

Sakura said, "I activate my facedown, the Continuous Trap, Solemn Wishes! Each time I draw a card, I gain 500 Life Points automatically. Therefore, I draw, and I gain 500 extra Life Points!"

 **Sakura - 2800 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"I now summon the Tuner Monster, Twilight Rose Knight from my hand in Attack Mode."

Twilight Rose Knight - (DARK/Warrior/Tuner) - LV3 - (1000/1000)

"Due to Aroma Gardening's effect, I gain 1000 extra Life Points!"

 **Sakura - 3800 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"Twilight Rose Knight's effect lets me Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Plant Monster from my hand. I now summon from my hand, Aromage Canaga, in Attack Mode."

Aromage Canaga - (EARTH/Plant) - LV3 - (1400/1000)

"Because of Aroma Gardening, I gain 1000 extra Life Points!"

 **Sakura - 4800 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"Once per turn, if I gained Life Points, then because of Canaga's effect, I can target 1 Trap/Spell card you control and return it to your hand, so I'll be targeting that facedown card of yours."

Canaga slammed her palm onto the ground; vines sprouting and forming a path towards Mitsumi's field before covering around her facedown card. Her set card dispersed from the field and returned to her hand.

"But I'm not done, because Canaga's second effect makes it so that when my Life Points are higher than yours, face-up Monsters you control lose 500 Attack and Defense Points!"

Evigishki Gustkraken - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV6 - (1900/500)

Evigishki Merrowgeist - (WATER/Aqua/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (1600/1100)

 _'I would like to say that that isn't enough for any of her Monsters to finish off mine, but then I would be like one of those arrogant and overconfident duelists who don't think two steps ahead,'_ thought Mitsumi. _'Now that she's increased her Life Points, decreased my Monsters' powers, and has two Monsters on her field, one of them being a Tuner, it's pretty obvious what her next move is.'_

"I tune my Level 3 Twilight Rose Knight with my Level 3 Aromage Canaga in order to Synchro Summon Aromaseraphy Sweet Marjoram!"

Aromaseraphy Sweet Marjoram - (LIGHT/Plant/Synchro) - LV6 - (2200/2000)

"Because of Aroma Gardening's effect, I gain another 1000 extra Life Points!"

 **Sakura - 5800 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"But, because Aromage Canaga is gone, her decrease effect disappears as well," reminded Mitsumi.

Evigishki Gustkraken - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV6 - (2400/1000)

Evigishki Merrowgeist - (WATER/Aqua/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2100/1600)

"Even so, there's more for my turn," reminded Sakura. "I can only activate one of Sweet Marjoram's effects per turn, but I will do so right now. When she's Synchro Summoned, I can add 1 Humid Winds, Dried Winds, or Blessed Winds from my deck to my hand. I choose Blessed Winds and set it on my field."

 _'I have no idea what effect Blessed Winds does, but I should be cautious,'_ thought Mitsumi, who started making a break for the trees in search of an Action Card.

"I'm afraid I can't let you hinder my strength if you're searching for an Action Card," Sakura said. "I now attack Merrowgeist with my Sweet Marjoram."

Sweet Marjoram raised her arm upwards and a vine-like spike burst from beneath the ground and pierced through Merrowgeist's abdomen, making her cry out in pain before vanishing. Mitsumi, who was on top of one of the tree branches in one of the many trees in the Action Field, witnessed the destruction of her XYZ Monster, gritted her teeth in annoyance, but kept her composure.

 **Sakura - 5800 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3900 LP**

"I end my turn."

"My turn!" called out Mitsumi. _'I guess sooner or later, she's going to pull that facedown card, so I might as well attack and hope for the best.'_ "I attack Sweet Marjoram with Gustkraken!"

From behind her back, or rather, upon plucking one of the flowers in the bush behind her, Sakura took out an Action Card hidden within the rose she now held. "I activate the Action Card, Floral Destruction. Your Monster is now destroyed."

Mitsumi spotted an Action Card from underneath another tree branch and, upon giving it a quick glance, activated it. "Action Card, No Action! Your Action Card is negated and destroyed!"

A surprised look formed itself on Sakura's face as not only did her Action Card failed, but the destruction of her Synchro Monster left her completely defenseless, with no advantages over her opponent other than the high Life Point gauge.

 **Sakura - 5600 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3900 LP**

Mitsumi jumped down from the tree branch she was in, landing back to the widespread grassy plains. "I end my turn."

Sakura smiled, drawing her card. "Most impressive, Mitsumi. Solemn Wishes' effect lets me gain 500 extra Life Points."

 **Sakura - 6100 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3900 LP**

"Now, I activate my facedown card, Blessed Winds, and select one of its effects. I pay 1000 Life Points in order to Special Summon an Aroma Monster from my Graveyard, so I'll be bringing back my Synchro Monster."

Aromaseraphy Sweet Marjoram - (LIGHT/Plant/Synchro) - LV6 - (2200/2000)

 **Sakura - 5100 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3900 LP**

"But, my Life Points will return by 1000 because of Aroma Gardening's effect."

 **Sakura - 6100 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3900 LP**

 _'That's getting real annoying, but a rather effective healing combo,'_ thought Mitsumi. _'I have to find a way to destroy that healing combo, or try to make it backfire on Sakura.'_

Sakura eyed the card she drew. "Ah, alright. I discard Aromaseraphy Angelica from my hand to activate her effect. Now, I target an Aroma Monster in my Graveyard and gain Life Points equal to that Monster's Attack Points. I select Aromage Rosemary, and gain 1800 Life Points."

 **Sakura - 7900 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3900 LP**

"Hmm...I suppose now would be quite the good time to activate this new Action Card I just got."

Taken aback by the new Action Card in Sakura's hand, Mitsumi asked, "Wait, where did you-?"

"You can find Action Cards in more than just one location in an Action Field, Mitsumi. Surely, that's basic information," answered Sakura, narrowing her usually kindred eyes. "Many are especially hidden in this beautiful garden, even within flowers. But that's all the hint I can give you, unfortunately."

 _'Basically, she's saying that you can find really good Action Cards in really hidden and unexpected places,'_ thought Mitsumi. _'Man, I must really be rusty in my dueling skills if I forgot that bit. Good for Sakura to remind me, though.'_

"With that said, I now activate the Action Card, Petal Dance," Sakura continued. "This lowers one of your Monster's Attack Points by 1000."

Evigishki Gustkraken - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV6 - (1400/1000)

"Now, I shall attack! Sweet Marjoram, destroy her Ritual Monster!"

While Sweet Marjoram was in the process of destroying the weakened Gustkraken, Mitsumi took the opportunity to roam around the field in search for an Action Card. She knew the rules implicated that she can only hold one Action Card at a time, and it's likely there may be Action Traps as well, but she wanted to try and at least find one Action Card in somewhere unexpected-!

A loud explosive sound caught wind of Mitsumi's ears, indicating that her time was up and that her Monster was destroyed.

 **Sakura - 7900 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3100 LP**

"I shall end my turn with that."

"My turn!" Mitsumi said, drawing her card. "I summon Gishki Marker in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Marker - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (1600/1200)

"When he's summoned, I can select a Gishki Ritual Monster or Gishki Ritual Spell card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand! I choose Gishki Aquamirror and add it to my hand! I activate Gishki Aquamirror and sacrifice Gishki Shadow from my hand! Gishki Shadow's effect makes it so that if I Ritual Summon a WATER Ritual Monster, he can be used for the entire Tribute! I Tribute Gishki Shadow in order to Ritual Summon Gishki Zielgigas!"

Gishki Zielgigas - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV10 - (3200/0)

"I'm not finished, though," said Mitsumi. "Now, I activate his effect! By paying 1000 Life Points, I draw a card and reveal it. If it's a Gishki Monster, I get to shuffle 1 card from the field back into the deck!"

"Are you sure you want to risk your Life Points like that, Mitsumi?" asked Sakura, uncertain about her decision. "Unlike me, you don't really have any Life Points to spare nor increase."

"I'll take my chances. Draw!" Mitsumi revealed her card, which happened to be Gishki Abyss. "Alright, so it was Gishki Abyss, a Gishki Monster! I choose your Sweet Marjoram to be shuffled back into the Extra Deck!"

Sakura gasped as she watched her Synchro Monster vanish into a ball of light, returning back to her Extra Deck slot in her D-Pad.

"You're defenseless!" Mitsumi stated. "First, Gishki Marker! Attack her directly!"

Gishki Marker summoned a ball of water from his palms and threw it at Sakura, splashing her headfirst with water.

 **Sakura - 6300 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3100 LP**

"Zielgigas, your turn!" ordered Mitsumi as she continued searching for an Action Card. Zielgigas obeyed his mistress and sent a large wave of water using his own powers, not only splashing Sakura and drenching her in more water, but ruining a lot of flowers in the field as well.

 **Sakura - 3100 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3100 LP**

"I set a card and end my turn!"

"This is appearing quite tougher than I expected," muttered Sakura. "My turn! I'm certain you're aware of what comes next? Solemn Wishes' effect!"

 **Sakura - 3600 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3100 LP**

"I now summon Aromage Jasmine in Attack Mode!"

Aromage Jasmine - (LIGHT/Plant) - LV2 - (100/1900)

"Now, Aroma Gardening's effect activates!"

 **Sakura - 4600 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3100 LP**

"Jasmine's effect activates! Once per turn, if I gain Life Points, I get to draw one card! Another of her effects activates! During my Main Phase, while my Life Points are higher than yours, I can Normal Summon another Plant Monster in addition to my Normal Summon/Set this turn! I sacrifice Aromage Jasmine in order to Tribute Summon Aromage Bergamot!"

Aromage Bergamot - (FIRE/Plant) - LV6 - (2400/1800)

"Once again, Aroma Gardening activates!"

 **Sakura - 5600 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3100 LP**

"Bergamot's effect activates! Once per turn, when I gain Life Points, he gains 1000 Attack and Defense Points until the end of your turn, Mitsumi!"

Aromage Bergamot - (FIRE/Plant) - LV6 - (3400/2800)

"Attack, Bergamot! Destroy her Ritual Monster!"

Plucking a bluebell flower from the ground, Mitsumi found an Action Card hidden and that it was quite the appropriate card to use. "Action Card, Miracle! My Monster isn't destroyed, and any Battle Damage is halved!"

 **Sakura - 5600 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3000 LP**

Sakura said, "I end my turn."

"I draw!" said Mitsumi. "Now, I activate my facedown card, Aquamirror Cycle! I target a WATER Monster I control, and 2 WATER Monsters in my Graveyard! I shuffle Gishki Marker back to my deck, and now I add the Gishki Reliever and Gishki Shadow to my hand! I activate the Gishki Aquamirror from my Graveyard! I shuffled it back from the Graveyard to my deck to target a Gishki Ritual Monster in my Graveyard and returning it to my hand! I return Gustkraken to my hand! Now I discard Gishki Shadow to retrieve a Ritual Spell card back from my deck to my hand, and it's Gishki Aquamirror!"

"Impressive combo," complimented Sakura, nodding in acknowledgement.

"I discard Gustkraken, a WATER Monster, to Special Summon Swap Frog from my hand to the field!"

Swap Frog - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (1000/500)

"Why would you trade in a Ritual Monster for something so weaker?" wondered Sakura.

"You'll see," said Mitsumi. "Now, I Normal Summon Gishki Reliever from my hand!"

Gishki Reliever - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (500/800)

Sakura realized too late what Mitsumi was planning. "Wait, two Level 2 Monsters on the field means-!"

"I Overlay my two Level 2 Monsters in order to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Mitsumi. "I XYZ Summon The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin!"

The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin - (DARK/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 2 - (1600/0)

 _'I never imagined that I'd summon him in this situation, but lucky me!'_ Mitsumi thought before continuing her tur. "I detach an Overlay Unit from Cursed Javelin to target 1 Monster you control! I target Bergamot, and now, his Attack Points are now 0, and his effects are now negated!"

Aromage Bergamot - (FIRE/Plant) - LV6 - (0/1800)

"Oh, no!" gasped Sakura.

"Now, I attack Bergamot with my Zielgigas!"

Between the weakened Bergamot and the mighty Zielgigas, it didn't take a genius to figure out the difference between their strengths and the winner of this short battle once the dust cleared from Zielgigas' attack.

 **Sakura - 2400 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3000 LP**

"I set a card and end my turn," said Mitsumi. _'The second she activates her Life Point combo strategy, her defeat is inevitable. I should set my timing and wait a bit once her turn starts.'_

"My turn!" said Sakura. "I summon Aromage Rosemary!"

Aromage Rosemary - (WATER/Plant) - LV4 - (1800/700)

"Now, because of Aroma Gardening-"

"You're going to lose 1000 Life Points, because I activate the Continuous Trap, Bad Reaction to Simochi. Basically, it converts all the Life Points you would have gained to damage to your Life Points instead."

"What?!"

 **Sakura - 1400 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3000 LP**

 _'I...I didn't expect this kind of outcome, but...it appears that I still lack experience and the will to continue,'_ thought Sakura before placing her hand on top of her D-Pad.

"W-What are you doing?" asked Mitsumi.

"Is it not obvious? I decided to surrender to you," replied Sakura before a loud beep went off, indicating the end of their duel.

 **Sakura - FORFEIT**

 **Mitsumi - 3000 LP**

 **Winner: Mitsumi**

"Wait, why? I know you were in a disadvantage, but you could have continued. You could have searched for an Action Card and attempt to destroy my Trap," informed Mitsumi, walking up to Sakura.

Sakura shook her head. "No, unfortunately, no such cards exist in that Action Field Spell. I have played with that Field Spell so many times, it may as well act as a playground for me, so I know what kinds of cards are in there. And my cards held no strength to go up against yours, especially with your Ritual Monster and XYZ Monster proving as obstacles to me. Therefore, I decided not to waste anymore time and simply surrender. You must feel disappointed in me. I know I am."

"Eh...I'm not really disappointed. Honestly, I couldn't care less if I won or lost this duel," Mitsumi admitted. "But, hey, I won, so, I guess that means I get to go to my next official duel."

"Yes, I suppose so," Sakura agreed. "Not once have I encountered such a problem like that during our duel. If I'm to uphold the reputation of this school as well as my status as the top-ranking student here, it appears I'll need to study and train harder to overcome and counter cards like what you performed. Are you free right now?"

Mitsumi glanced at the screen on her D-Pad, checking the time. "Yes, I do have a couple of hours until my next duel. Did you want to talk?"

"Yes. Perhaps we could talk strategy over some tea and snacks? I always find it refreshing and relaxing to have some teatime after a tough duel. Here at this school, we have a...sort of a tea club, so we have all sorts of tea. Would you like to join me and my friends for some teatime before you go on your way? Think of it as a reward for defeating me."

"Technically, you surrendered before I could beat you, but, yeah. I'd like that. Thanks for the offer."

* * *

 **Happy New Year's, guys! I can't believe I uploaded this in time for the fireworks to go off for the brand new, first year of 2020! Great job accomplishing over last year, guys! Read and review!~**


	15. Tinkering Twists!

**Wow, the year has gone and passed and now we're in a new year, 2020! I'll be starting things off with a brand new chapter, so hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"..."

"Well? Will you not accept my generous offer?"

As usual, it was taking everything out of Mitsumi not to pummel her least favorite person to the ground and leave him there for his goons to take care of him.

After Mitsumi had a wonderful and relaxing time in a small tea party with Sakura and her friends, Mitsumi set out with time to spare for her next scheduled, official duel. She had recognized the name almost instantly; Clover Millers, an American junior Pro Duelist prodigy whom she encountered several times back while she was a junior Pro Duelist herself back when she was a child. She knew he had quit the opportunity to become a young Pro Duelist because he was more interested in tinkering with machines and other gadgets than dueling, something Mitsumi envied a little bit since he had the freedom to do as he pleased. Still, it was a surprise to hear from him again. She wouldn't say that they were friends, but more like acquaintances.

But now, just as she was heading over to Gear Gadget Dueling School, she found herself face-to-face with Shingo and his three other followers, much to her annoyance. Her relaxed and happy attitude was immediately ruined the moment Shingo spotted her and walked towards her. Then again, this wasn't anything new for her, but she was in a hurry due to a scheduled duel, and truth be told, she really didn't want to talk to Shingo at the moment.

"...An offer, you say?" asked Mitsumi, keeping her kind, bright smile on. "I'm sorry, can you further elaborate on that, Sawatari-san?"

"Well, of course you couldn't clearly understand! I haven't fully explained myself and you're already jumping to conclusions, silly cute Mitsumi-chan!~" teased Shingo, patting her on the head.

 _'You're one to talk, bastard! You barely explained anything, and I'M the idiot?!'_ thought Mitsumi; an irk mark on her head as she continued smiling.

Shingo cleared his throat. "Anyways! I want you to see all of my duels! I have more than enough win rates to qualify for the tournament, but I still want to get rid of more of the competition while there's still time before the next part of the tournament! That's why, I'm qualifying you as my special, main cheerleader!"

"Hmm? Oh, Sawatari-san, I'd be honored to!" Mitsumi said, resisting the urge to throw up from her own words. "But...what about Ootomo-san, Yamabe-san, and Kakimoto-san? They qualify much more to be much better cheerleaders than me! Why, I'd only slow you down!"

Shingo shook his head. "Nonsense! You'd do fantastic! In fact, I'm thinking of appointing you as...the...cheerleader leader! Yeah! You'll be in charge of all the cheerleading!"

 _'Is it possible to strangle someone with their own coat?'_ Mitsumi thought, wanting to steal Shingo's coat and throttle him with it. "I appreciate it, Sawatari-san, but...I'm far too busy! I have places to go, and...and you simply must prove everyone else wrong with-with those rumors that's been spreading around you!"

Shingo blinked. "R-Rumors? What rumors?"

Mitsumi sniffled and collapsed to her knees, tears forming on her eyes. "I...I just heard some really nasty rumors about you! Rumors about the tournament!"

Kakimoto, Ootomo, and Yamabe panicked, glancing at each other and not knowing what to do as Shingo also panicked, but kneeled down in front of her, trying to comfort Mitsumi. "H-Hey! It's alright! You're not at fault here! Just calm down, and tell me what's going on, Mitsumi-chan," spoke Shingo softly.

 _'Wow, I've done this act for like, how many times, and yet, he still falls for it,'_ Mitsumi thought, covering her mouth to hide her smirk as tears fell from her eyes. "I-It's just...You know how you're the mayor's son? And how you're so rich and...and so handsome and strong in dueling?"

Shingo took that moment to puff his chest out confidently. "Well, that is true. I am rich and handsome and strong! But, I don't get it, Mitsumi-chan. If those are the rumors about me, why are you saying that like it's a bad thing?"

 _'I really wish it was a bad thing,'_ Mitsumi wanted to state before continuing her pitiful act. "W-Well, all sorts of people are saying that you've been using your father's influence to cheat and win your way into the tournament! Some are even saying that you bribed the people behind the tournament to let you in without even participating in a duel! I...I tried my very best to defend you, but...but it wasn't enough!"

Technically, even thought Mitsumi was just saying all of these things to try and make a proper excuse for Shingo to leave her alone, the rumors were still true, just not in an exact way. The rumors were very small and not well-known, but some did state that Shingo was some rich punk and that it was unfair that he would easily get into the tournament. Mitsumi just twisted the truth a bit to gain some pity from Shingo and to build up her excuse.

"I'm sure you did your very best, Mitsumi-chan!" assured Shingo, rubbing her on the back. "I'll find those guys and beat them up!"

 _'Dude, your arms are pretty wimpy. I wouldn't even bet on you to win,'_ Mitsumi silently commented in her mind. "I...I even heard them say very terrible things about you, Sawatari-san! I...excuse my language, but they said things like how you're a...rich bastard. That's you're an annoying son-of-a-bitch. That you tend to get on everyone's nerves. That you're the scum at the bottom of someone's shoe! And...Oh, I really can't go on!"

Mitsumi turned away and clasped her hand over her mouth, muffling her laughs and making everyone think they were sobs instead. Never had Mitsumi have been more grateful that laughs could be mistaken for sobbing noises. This bit, she did lie about because none of the people said any of those insults she mentioned. Those insults were what Mitsumi truly thought of Shingo and, in a way, this was her way of seeping out her stress and "indirectly" insult him.

Shingo clenched his fists and fire rose from within his eyes. "Those...bastards! How dare they insult me and make poor Mitsumi-chan cry! They'll pay!"

"No, Sawatari-san! They aren't worth it!" said Mitsumi, looking at him while wiping the last of her tears away. "Instead, you can prove them wrong by winning duels by yourself! Like, in front of a performance or something!"

Shingo's expression brightened. "Yeah, you're right! I could don a new costume, and have a cool, new, nickname! Like...Like, Neo New Sawatari or something!'

Mitsumi sweatdropped. "R-Right...You go do that. But, unfortunately, I can't become your cheerleader, because...I'm in this tournament as well! And on top of that, I have to take care of my grandmother and help her with other things, so I'll be awfully busy!"

Shingo's expression reverted to a softened one as he grasped her on the shoulders. "Mitsumi-chan...I understand. Although it's a shame that we can't be together during the tournament, know that I'll be supporting you, just as I know you'll be supporting me!~"

 _'The day I support you is the day when hell freezes over,'_ Mitsumi thought, fake smiling up at Shingo. "Yes! Thank you for understanding so much, Sawatari-san! Now, I have to be going, but I wish you luck! Bye! You guys too, Kakimoto-san, Ootomo-san, and Yamabe-san!"

The three friends of Shingo sniffled as they had witnessed the "heartwarming" scene before them. "*Sniffle* Mitsumi-chan really is a good match for Sawatari!"

"So kind...so beautiful...so understanding! I wish I could have a girlfriend like that one day!"

"I guess we'll have to cheer for both of them twice as hard! Do your best, Mitsumi-chan!"

After waving the boys good luck and goodbye, Mitsumi's smile dropped and she let out a sigh, clutching her forehead as she walked away. "Oh, thank God that's over! Just as expected, they're all idiots..."

* * *

 _Inside Gear Gadget Dueling School..._

"Welcome, Nazuno-kun! I've been expecting you!"

"Oh, hey Millers-san," said Mitsumi, waving at the young teen who was standing across from her in the middle of the dueling field. "It's been a while, hasn't it? 10 years? How have you been?"

"Fantastic!" said Clover proudly. "I'm mostly a young inventor that fixes mechanical problems in this school and build stuff to improve our systems, but I'm also a strong duelist as well! Maybe not on your level, but I think I stand a chance, considering that you retired 10 years ago!"

"You're on the same page as me," Mitsumi pointed out. "Last I heard, you quit being a junior Pro Duelist in order to walk down the path to becoming an inventor and work on other mechanical stuff."

"True, true, but I've kept up with a bit of my training throughout the years, too! I do hope you'll give me a good fight!"

"Just because I haven't entered any junior Pro Duelist tournaments in a long time, doesn't mean I've neglected myself," assured Mitsumi. "I don't mean to sound overconfident or a bragging person, but I've trained my body through other things, too."

"Eh...you've always got a strong grip back then. Okay, I admit that my body's not as fit as yours, but...Okay, you know what? I'll show you my power during this duel! Let's get going! Action Field, on!"

At the snap of Clover's fingers, the Action Field changed the entire dueling platform they were on with the Action Field Spell, Gizmo Factory. The platform transformed into a rotating gear as the entire scenery was filled with all sorts of machinery; the sounds of tinkering and loud noises was included in the background, though not loud enough to hinder the two duelists from shouting to one another during their duel.

Clover turned to Mitsumi and said, "I always found the whole Action Field incantation a bit dull and time-wasting, but, because I was ordered by my principal to comply by the rules, we have to do them. Sorry."

Mitsumi shook her head. "Nah, I find that annoying, too, but I have to do so by Shuzo-sensei's orders, too. Ugh, I never did understand the whole incantation thing. Anyways, if you want, I can start it out."

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead."

"Alright! Duelists locked in battle!"

"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!" Clover continued.

The audience joined in. "They storm through this field! Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling! Actioooooon-!"

"DUEL!"

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Clover - 4000 LP**

"I'll let you go first," offered Clover.

"And give up the advantage of the second turn rule? No thanks!" denied Mitsumi.

Clover sighed. "Look, Nazuno-kun. We can either continue arguing and wait until the time limit for your turn to end, thus causing you to lose, or you can just start your turn and get it over with."

"Ugh...you're right. Fine, fine. I'll start. I draw!" Mitsumi said. "I set a card and set a Monster facedown before ending my turn!"

"I wonder, will you be using the same deck, or a different one? You're making me quite curious, Nazuno-kun!" said Clover, drawing his card. "I draw! Alright, time to find out what your hidden Monster is by first summoning Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon - (WIND/Machine) - LV4 - (1200/1700)

"A new deck, huh? I imagine it's a Machine-Type deck. You always did love Machine-Types," commented Mitsumi, smiling at one of the few, fondest memories she had while she once was a junior Pro Duelist.

"Yup! I see that your smile has gotten cuter! If I was into you, I'd fall head over heels for you!~"

Mitsumi's smile turned into a scowl as she focused back onto the duel. "Yeah, no. Ugh..." Feeling a headache coming her way once she thought of Shingo, Mitsumi let out a sigh.

Clover grew concerned for her. "Hey, are you okay? I was only joking-"

"No, no, I know you were. I just...I just had to deal with an annoying idiot before coming my way here, so I'm not really in that good of a mood. But don't let that stop you. You can continue on with your turn."

Clover nodded, deciding to trust her words before continuing his turn. "Alright, then...I attack with my Monster! Blackfalcon's effect activates! When he declares an attack, I can Special Summon 1 Mecha Phantom Beast Token to the field! I'll do so in Defense Mode!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Token - (WIND/Machine) - LV3 - (0/0) X1

"Oh, and also, for every Mecha Phantom Beast Token I control, Blackfalcon's Level increases by 1!~"

Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon - (WIND/Machine) - LV5 - (1200/1700)

"Now, let's continue the assault! Let's see what's underneath that set Monster of yours!"

The eagle-like Machine-Type Monster swooped down and crashed into Mitsumi's Set Monster...only to be thrown back and literally crash landed next to Clover, dazed as not only did Mitsumi's Set Monster revealed itself, but Clover watched as his Life Points decreased.

Gishki Ariel - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **Clover - 3400 LP**

"Gishki Ariel's Flip effect activates!" announced Mitsumi. "I now add one Gishki Monster from my deck to my hand! I add Gishki Vision to my hand!"

"Gishki, huh? I see you're still a fan of WATER Attribute Monsters!~" said Clover, clapping. "Awww! But it's a shame that I lost so many Life Points! I should have raised my Monster's Attack Points before attacking!"

"You only lost 600."

"And to me, that still counts as a lot! I wanna show you all the cool, new gadgets in my deck, but I can't do that if I lose quickly! Guess I'll have to be more serious! From my hand, I set three cards and end my turn!"

 _'It's pretty clear that at least one of those set cards must be a Trap. Or, maybe he wants me to think that way to buy some time,'_ Mitsumi thought, rubbing her chin as she began calculating inside her mind. _'Normally, if this was any other opponent, I would have thought they'd be desperate to put a Trap, but my opponent is a former junior Pro Duelist, and worse, he knows me and my strategies a bit too well. I might have to play it safe and not attack. Instead, I'll focus on buffing my Monsters and trying to put in some defense.'_

"I draw!" Mitsumi said. "I activate Gishki Aquamirror and sacrifice Gishki Ariel to Ritual Summon Gishki Psychelone!"

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (2150/1650)

"Good thing I prepared for this!" Clover said. "I activate Void Trap Hole! Now, when you Special Summon a Monster with 2000 or more Attack Points, its special abilities are negated and destroyed!"

"I activate a Trap of my own! Ritual Buster!" countered Mitsumi. "This can only be activated when a Monster is Ritual Summoned! You can't activate any Spells and/or Traps or even their effects until my next Standby Phase!"

"Jeez, you really thought of even that, huh? You haven't changed much."

"I'd rather focus on the present than the past, Clover," Mitsumi advised. "Now, let's see...I set a Monster facedown and attack with Psychelone! Destroy Blackfalcon!"

Psychelone raised her head and released a high-piercing shriek that caused an explosion upon making contact with Blackfalcon, but once the dust settled, Clover's Monster remained standing, and none of his Life Points were depleted.

"What did you do, Clover?"

"Simple, a special ability of Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon saved him," answered Clover. "You see, while I control a Token, Blackfalcon can't be destroyed in battle or by card effects!"

"I assume another ability of his is that he doesn't take Battle Damage, either?" wondered Mitsumi.

Clover shook his head. "Nope! I barely made it, but I managed to grab an Action Card and activated on time! It was called Time Gear! It allows me zero damage when my Monster is attacked!"

"I see...I should have targeted the Token then. Thanks for the heads-up."

Clover grinned. "Oh, I don't think you'll be needing to worry about that anytime soon! So, what will you do now? End your turn?"

"Not yet. I now activate Psychelone's effect. Now, I get to declare one Monster Type and Attribute and then look at 1 random card in your hand. I choose WIND Attribute and a Machine Type! Now, show me that card!"

Much to Mitsumi's disappointment, it wasn't a Monster card, but rather a Spell card known as The Shallow Grave. "Fine, I end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" said Clover. "Awesome! I'm bringing out the Tuner Monster, Mecha Phantom Beast Warbluran!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Warbluran - (WIND/Machine/Tuner) - LV1 - (300/300)

"Three Monsters...at least one Tuner...a Level 9 Synchro Monster?" wondered Mitsumi out loud.

Clover nodded. "That's right! But before I do any Synchro Summoning, I activate one of my facedowns, the Continuous Trap, Cyber Summon Blaster! Each time a Machine-Type Monster is Special Summoned, I get to inflict 300 Points of Damage to you! And now, I tune my Level 1 Warbluran with my Level 3 Phantom Beast Token and my Level 5 Blackfalcon! Synchro Summon! I Synchro Summon Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan - (WIND/Machine/Synchro) - LV9 - (2700/2000)

 **Mitsumi - 3700 LP**

 **Clover - 3400 LP**

"Warbluran's effect activates! If he was sent to the Graveyard for the Synchro Summon of a Machine-Type Monster, I get to Special Summon 1 Mecha Phantom Beast Token!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Token - (WIND/Machine) - LV3 - (0/0) X1

"Once more, Cyber Summon Blaster's effect activates!"

 **Mitsumi - 3400 LP**

 **Clover - 3400 LP**

"And now, Jaculuslan's effect activates! When he's Synchro Summoned, I can Tribute Phantom Beast Tokens up to the number of cards in your hand, and then randomly discard cards from your hand equal to the number of Tributed Tokens! I sacrifice my one and only Token to discard a random card in your hand!"

Mitsumi did as Clover asked, discarding one of her cards as his only Phantom Beast Token was sacrificed in order to activate his Synchro Monster's effect. But while Mitsumi did so, she started running across the field, trying to find an Action Card as Clover followed after her so they wouldn't separate from each other's views.

"Man...! You're...so...fast!" panted Clover.

"I just kept up with my stamina. You're the one who lacked physical effort!" pointed out Mitsumi, still searching for an Action Card.

"Yeah...you're right...! In that case, I attack your Ritual Monster with Jaculuslan!"

Jaculuslan rammed straight into Psychelone, destroying her entirely as Mitsumi leapt onto a conveyor belt for higher ground, flinching at the sight of her Ritual Monster being destroyed and the damage to her Life Points.

 **Mitsumi - 2850 LP**

 **Clover - 3400 LP**

"I set a card and end my turn! And once your Standby Phase starts, I assume that Ritual Buster's effect will also end?"

"...Yeah, you're right," agreed Mitsumi, drawing her card. "Like you said, Ritual Buster's effect has ended. I Flip Summon my Set Monster, Maiden of the Aqua!"

Maiden of the Aqua - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (700/2000)

"Now I activate the effect of Gishki Aquamirror in my Graveyard! I shuffle that Ritual Spell back into my deck so that I can add a Ritual Monster back to my hand! I'll add Gishki Psychelone back to my hand and then discard Gishki Shadow from my hand to activate his effect! I can add a Gishki Ritual Spell from my deck to my Graveyard, so I'm taking back Gishki Aquamirror!"

"Impressive combo! I can't wait to see what else you've got!" complimented Clover, still trying to catch his breath.

"You've been showing an impressive display of hand as well, Clover," Mitsumi said. "And I don't even have to go into my fake, shy personality to say that."

"Wait, what?"

"Oh, it's nothing. You don't really need to concern yourself with that kind of detail. Not really relevant to our duel. Anyways, I use Gishki Aquamirror and sacrifice Maiden of the Aqua to bring back Gishki Psychelone!"

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (2150/1650)

"My Synchro Monster is still more powerful," reminded Clover. "This'll basically be a reenactment of what happened last turn!"

"I know, but this time, it's going to be different," promised Mitsumi. "I activate the Spell, Riryoku! I target 2 Monsters on the field! Now, I get to halve the Attack Points of one of those Monsters and then add that lost Attack Points to the other Monster! So, I halve your Jaculuslan's Attack Points and add those to my Monster! Though, this effect only lasts until the end of my turn!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan - (WIND/Machine/Synchro) - LV9 - (1350/2000)

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (3500/1650)

Realizing the predicament he was in, Clover rushed around, frantically trying to find an Action Card. From his actions, Mitsumi can interpret that his other set card wasn't a Trap, but even if it was, then it probably wasn't something like Mirror Force or any destructive Trap card that could destroy her Monster. Still, while he was searching for an Action Card, Gishki Psychelone was locked in combat with Jaculuslan, so Mitsumi choose that chance to find an Action Card herself.

"Got one!" said Clover, quickly activating the Action Card he found right before his Jaculuslan was destroyed. "Action Card: Mechanical Delay! When I get dealt Battle Damage, it's halved!"

 **Mitsumi - 2850 LP**

 **Clover - 2325 LP**

"Whew! I was saved from a lot of Battle Damage! Now Jaculuslan's effect activates! If he's destroyed by battle or card effect, I can set a Quick-Play Spell card directly from my deck!"

"I see you've still got tricks up your sleeve. I end my turn!" said Mitsumi, landing on top of a machine. "At this time, Riryoku's effect ends and my Monster's Attack Points return back to normal."

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (2150/1650)

"Whew! If you think that's all I had, then you're wrong! I've got all sorts of toys I wanna bring out!~" said Clover, drawing his card. "I can barely contain my excitement! I activate the Spell, Monster Reborn! I Special Summon Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan in Attack Mode!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan - (WIND/Machine/Synchro) - LV9 - (2700/2000)

"And once more, Cyber Summon Blaster's effect takes place!"

 **Mitsumi - 2550 LP**

 **Clover - 2325 LP**

"I'm far from finished! Now, I activate the Spell, Iron Call! If I control a Machine-Type Monster, which I do, I get to target a Level 4 or lower Machine-Type Monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it, but its effects are negated and destroyed at the end of my turn! I Special Summon Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Blackfalcon - (WIND/Machine) - LV4 - (1200/1700)

"Cyber Summon Blaster activates again!"

 **Mitsumi - 2250 LP**

 **Clover - 2325 LP**

"I now Normal Summon the Tuner Monster, Mecha Phantom Beast Blue Impala!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Blue Impala - (WIND/Machine/Tuner) - LV3 - (1400/1100)

"Now, I tune my Level 3 Blue Impala with my Level 4 Blackfalcon in order to Synchro Summon Mecha Phantom Beast Corcoruda!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Corcoruda - (WIND/Machine/Synchro) - LV7 - (2400/1200)

"And-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know," interrupted Mitsumi. "I get hit with the Cyber Su-urk!"

 **Mitsumi - 1950 LP**

 **Clover - 2325 LP**

"Hey, no interrupting! That's rude!" pouted Clover.

"And yet, sometimes you do the same to others when you want to show off your inventions," Mitsumi pointed out.

"Hmph! Whatever! Anyways, I'm gonna start attacking now! Attack! First off, Corocoruda! Destroy her Ritual Monster!"

Mitsumi grabbed an Action Card from one of the operating machines and activated it. "Action Card! Evasion! My Monster evades destruction in battle once!"

"Maaan! So annoying!" whined Clover. "But never fear, because I've got another Monster! Jaculuslan! Finish off her Gishki Monster!"

Mitsumi attempted to try and find a good Action Card, but no matter how high or low she went as fast as possible, it was too late as a loud explosion confirmed the destruction of her Ritual Monster.

 **Mitsumi - 1400 LP**

 **Clover - 2325 LP**

"I end my turn!"

"My turn, draw!" said Mitsumi. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two new cards! I summon Gishki Beast in Attack Mode!"

Gishki Beast - (WATER/Beast) - LV4 - (1500/1300)

"When he's Normal Summoned, I get to target 1 Level 4 or lower Gishki Monster from my Graveyard and Special Summon it in face-up Defense Mode! I Special Summon Gishki Ariel!"

Gishki Ariel - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

"I discard Gishki Vision from my hand to bring out a Gishki Ritual Monster from my deck to my hand! Now, the conditions are set! I activate Gishki Aquamirror and Tribute both Gishki Beast and Ariel to Ritual Summon Evigishki Soul Ogre!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (2800/2800)

"Uh-oh," muttered Clover, knowing what's to happen next before beginning his rushed search for an Action Card.

"I'll strike now!" Mitsumi declared. "I attack your Jaculuslan with my Ritual Monster!"

"Aha! I got an Action Card!" Clover cheered. "Action Card: Reversal! Instead of targeting my Monster, your target is switched to my other Monster!"

Soul Ogre turned his attention towards Mecha Phantom Beast Corocoruda, firing off a geyser that caused a massive explosion before it revealed that Corocoruda was actually unharmed.

 **Mitsumi - 1400 LP**

 **Clover - 1925 LP**

"What happened? Why wasn't your Monster destroyed?" questioned Mitsumi.

"It's all because of Jaculuslan's effect," explained Clover. "Other Phantom Beast Monsters I control can't be destroyed in battle or card effects, hence why I activated the Reversal Action Card. Though, it was a rather close call."

"All to protect your strongest Monster and because you knew full well that his effect would protect your other Monster, whereas it wouldn't be the same for Jaculuslan. Clever, Clover."

Clover grinned. "Why, thank you!"

"I have no other options left but to end my turn now."

"My turn!" Clover drew his card and grinned even wider, almost resembling a mad scientist. "Yes, yes, YES! I can do it! Alright, first things first! I summon the Tuner Monster, Mecha Phantom Beast O-Lion!"

Mecha Phantom Beast O-Lion - (WIND/Machine/Tuner) - LV2 - (600/1000)

"Now, tuning Level 2 O-Lion with my Level 7 Synchro Monster, Corcoruda, I Synchro Symmon another Synchro Monster! Level 9! Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan!"

Mecha Phantom Beast Jaculuslan - (WIND/Machine/Synchro) - LV9 - (2700/2000)

"And now, Cyber Summon Blaster's effect activates!"

 **Mitsumi - 1100 LP**

 **Clover - 1925 LP**

"So you've got yourself another high-leveled Synchro Monster. Big d-" Mitsumi's eyes widened before she made a run to find another Action Card. "Crap, crap, crap!"

"Wow, you're quick on the get-go! Yes, you figured it out!" said Clover. "I Overlay my two Level 9 Synchro Monsters in order to build the Overlay Network! I XYZ Summon Rank 9! Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir!"

Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir - (WIND/Machine/XYZ) - Rank 9 - (2900/2500)

"Incredible..." said Mitsumi, awed. "He managed to-gah! Oh, right. That stupid Continuous Trap effect. Why did I forget about that?"

 **Mitsumi - 800 LP**

 **Clover - 1925 LP**

"You should know something, Nazuno-kun," continued Clover. "Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir has 4 effects. I can detach one of the XYZ Materials once per turn to activate one of the 4 effects. 1. Banish 1 card you control. 2. Banish 1 random card from your hand. 3. Banish 1 card from your Graveyard. 4. Banish the top card of your deck, face-up. I know you're probably thinking that I might choose the first option...but I'm not going to."

Mitsumi blinked in surprise, grabbing an Action Card hidden behind a tinkering gear. "Huh? Why? You easily have the advantage, and if you choose to attack, I'll just lose 100 Points of Damage."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong!" said Clover. "I want to have an honest all-or-nothing last Battle Phase with you! One of the things I enjoy about dueling is the awesome clashes between Monsters! It'll be just like my favorite anime, Robot Wing!"

"Yeah, never did get the appeal of robot combat shows," said Mitsumi, sweatdropping.

"However, I still will be using one of Enterblathnir's effects! I detach an Overlay Unit to activate the 4th effect! You have to banish the top card of your deck now!"

Mitsumi concentrated back on her dueling and drew the top card of her deck, banishing it afterwards before preparing herself for battle.

"Now, let's battle! I attack with my new XYZ Monster!" Clover, much to his surprise, saw an Action Card near his feet and picked it up, activating it. "I activate the Action Card! High Dive! My Monster gains 1000 extra Attack Points until the end of this turn! It's over!"

Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir - (WIND/Machine/XYZ) - Rank 9 - (3900/2500)

"I activate the Action Card, Encore! I target an Action Card in my Graveyard and activate its effect! I choose Evasion, so that means my Monster avoids complete destruction!"

"Awww, man!" complained Clover. "And I wanted to enjoy a good robot battle, too!"

"Technically, my Monster isn't even a robot or a Machine-Type," pointed out Mitsumi.

"Whatever! I end my turn! Just make the end interesting, Nazuno-kun! I really wanna get all pumped! I mean, I was when we first dueled, but...Well, anyways, the effect of High Dive has ended, so my XYZ Monster's Attack Points return to normal."

Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir - (WIND/Machine/XYZ) - Rank 9 - (2900/2500)

"I get it," Mitsumi said, nodding. "I draw! I summon Gishki Reliever to the field!"

Gishki Reliever - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (500/800)

"When he's Normal Summoned, I can return 1 other Monster I control back to my hand, so I return Soul Ogre back to my hand!"

Clover's jaw dropped. "What?! Why?! That was your strongest Monster! What are you thinking?!"

"I'm thinking of a good method to win," said Mitsumi. "Now, I discard 1 WATER Monster from my hand to Special Summon Swap Frog to the field."

Swap Frog - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (1000/500)

"Wait, so you returned your Ritual Monster back to your hand...to discard it and to Special Summon that?" wondered Clover. "Are you planning on an XYZ Summon?"

Mitsumi nodded. "Yes! I Overlay my two Level 2 Monsters in order to XYZ Summon The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin!"

The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin - (DARK/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 2 - (1600/0)

"Phantom Knights...? Hey, there's a bit of a theme going on!" chirped Clover. "My Phantom Fortress and my Mecha Phantom Beasts! And now, your Phantom Knights! Is this coincidence or fate?"

"I don't really believe in fate. I think this is just more of a coincidence," said Mitsumi, disregarding his last comment. "Anyways, I now activate Cursed Javelin's effect! Once per turn, during either of our turns, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can target a Monster you control, its Attack becomes 0, and its effects are negated!"

Phantom Fortress Enterblathnir - (WIND/Machine/XYZ) - Rank 9 - (0/2500)

"Oh, no! Now, I can't counterattack because my Monster's effects are negated!" cried out Clover.

Mitsumi nodded. "There's more. I equip United We Stand onto Cursed Javelin! For every face-up Monster I control, including him, he gains an extra 800 Attack and Defense Points!"

The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin - (DARK/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 2 - (2400/800)

"Attack! Destroy his XYZ Monster!"

Clover attempted to try and search for another Action Card, but all the constant running around during the duel caused him to gasp and fall on his knees, as he wasn't used to running around a lot due to being cooped up with his technical experiments and dueling. All he could do is helplessly watched as a powered-up Cursed Javelin threw his javelin at the weak point of his Phantom Fortress Enerblathnir, destroying it.

 **Mitsumi - 800 LP**

 **Clover - 0 LP**

 **Winner: Mitsumi**

As the dueling field returned to normal, Mitsumi walked up to Clover and offered her hand to him, something he took in return. "That was quite an intense and good duel. I haven't felt like that in a while," admitted Mitsumi.

"Yeah...I'm all tired out," admitted Clover, giving her a tired smile.

Mitsumi frowned and wagged her finger in front of his face. "That's because you don't get much exercise! Look! I can even tell that your arms are wimpy because of lack of exercise! From now on, try and do indoor exercises for at least an hour a day! It's amazing how much stronger you can get by doing at least that per day! And eat more vegetables and fruits! They're good for you!"

Clover sweatdropped. "Jeez, you act like my Mom sometimes...And blah! I can agree with the fruits, but vegetables are a no-go!"

"Hey, I used to hate vegetables, too, but I've gotten used to them!" Mitsumi said, proudly. "I remember that one of your favorite foods was...tacos, right? Just think, the next time you come across a broccoli, just imagine it's a taco and eat it!"

"Yeah, green, disgusting tacos," groaned Clover, already disgusted with the image. "Ugh...Look, I'll try to. I imagine if I don't shape up to my image as this school's toughest duelist, they might kick me out or at least remove some of the privileges I have while being the top student here."

"Great!~" said Mitsumi happily. "Oh, and remember, you can't tell anyone-"

Clover nodded. 'Yeah, yeah. You wanna keep your life private. I get it. But, if you have time right now, do you wanna come and be my assistant for a few hours? Just helping me tinker with things?"

Mitsumi glanced down at her watch. "I actually have another duel I have to get to, but after that duel, then I'll come to you, alright? My next duel is the last duel for today."

"Alright, then. That's good enough for me."

"And then, after we finish with whatever project you're doing, let's go out to eat together, my treat!"

"Whoa, really? I know it's been like, 10 years since we last saw each other, but I'm not-"

"Not like that, you idiot! Just a hang-out dinner! And we're going to Garden Tea!"

"Isn't that the restaurant whose famous for its salads?"

"Yup!~"

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

**Well, I had some fun with this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed this as well! Read and review!**


	16. Burning Blaze!

**This 4th duel will be the last one for today in Mitsumi's perspective, but soon, she'll have to deal with two more official duels! Hope you all enjoyed last duel and this one as well!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"HOOOOO! I'M SO PUMPED UP! FIRE! FIRE BURNING IN MY SOUL!"

 _'Oh God, he's like a combination of Gongenzaka and Shuzo-sensei,'_ thought Mitsumi, smiling awkwardly while sweatdropping, standing in front of her chosen opponent.

Her opponent was someone by the name of Natsu Kinomaki, Flame Waterfall Duel School's top student. Not only is he known for his notorious dueling skills, but he's also known for...being rather loud and too energetic at times, constantly yelling out his words most, if not all, of the time. Then again, he wasn't the only muscle-headed duelist in the school, as a lot of the students were just as loud and energetic as he was, mainly due to their harsh training conditions while as students in Flame Waterfall Duel School.

The school definitely lived up to its name. The settings inside the school as Mitsumi had made her way to the dueling field were rather dark, held up by torches and illuminating red lights as she witnessed students training under waterfalls and in other heated conditions. Heck, Mitsumi was sweating a bit right now and the air was a bit humid as well for her, enough for her to take off her jacket as she prepped herself for her duel against Natsu.

"YOSH! I'M ALL PUMPED UP! ARE YOU READY TO DO THIS, LITTLE LADY?!"

Mitsumi winched at the loud volume of his voice, especially since he was right in front of her. She calmly and politely tried to talk him down. "K-Kinomaki-san, would it be alright if you lowered your voice a bit? My ears are still ringing at bit and you're a bit too loud at the moment..."

The young teen blinked in surprise, and though he did as she asked, he was still quite loud. "ALRIGHT! HOW'S THIS?!"

 _'Ugh, I really don't wanna deal with him. I'll just duel him and get this over with,'_ Mitsumi thought, annoyed as she activated her D-Pad. "T-That's a bit better, I guess...but you're still loud. Then again, we are going to have to duel from a distance, so...it's okay?"

"YEAH! ALRIGHT! LET'S DO THIS!"

 _'Is this your way of revenge, Smiley? Making me duel someone who's giving me a constant headache? Even the last three duels weren't as annoying as this!'_ Mitsumi thought, cursing Nico internally. _'Oh God, if this is how it is, I wonder what my next two duels are going to be? IF I manage to win this duel, anyways!'_

"ARE YOU READY, LITTLE LADY?!"

"Please-! Stop yelling in my ears!" pleaded Mitsumi, covering her ears.

"APOLOGIES, LITTLE LADY!"

"Let's just get started, okay?!" Without waiting for Natsu to answer, Mitsumi turned around and backed away for distance, as per the requirements for a duel to begin. Afterwards, they had to do the whole Action Duel incantation, with the crowd joining in.

"Duelists locked in battle! Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters! They storm through this field! Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling! Acttiooooon-!"

"DUEL!"

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Natsu - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

Once Action Cards split up and scattered across the new dueling field, the Action Field transformed into that of a large, volcanic area. The steamy waterfalls inside the Duel School changed into lava and lavafalls, heat surging into the atmosphere and making the temperatures higher than usual, yet there was a lot of rocky terrain to explore around.

"YAHOOO! I'LL GO FIRST!" cheered Natsu. "I ACTIVATE THE CONTINUOUS SPELL, FIRE FORMATION - TENKI! WHEN THIS CARD IS ACTIVATED, I CAN ADD 1 LEVEL 4 OR LOWER BEAST-WARRIOR TYPE MONSTER FROM MY DECK TO MY HAND! AND, AS LONG AS THIS CARD IS ON MY FIELD, ALL BEAST-WARRIOR-TYPE MONSTERS ON MY FIELD GAIN 100 ATTACK POINTS EACH!"

 _'I guess it's slightly better with us being in farther distance, but man, he is REALLY loud!'_ Mitsumi thought, no longer needing to cover her ears. _'How has his lungs not suffered by this point?'_

"IF I CONTROL A FIRE FORMATION SPELL/TRAP CARD ON MY FIELD, AND I HAVE NO OTHER MONSTERS, I CAN SPECIAL SUMMON BROTHERHOOD OF THE FIRE FIST - COYOTE FROM MY HAND!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior) - LV5 - (2000/500)

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior) - LV5 - (2100/500)

"I NOW NORMAL SUMMON THE TUNER MONSTER, BROTHERHOOD OF THE FIRE FIST - SPIRIT!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Tuner) - LV3 - (500/200)

"BECAUSE OF FIRE FORMATION - TENKI, SPIRIT GAINS 100 EXTRA ATTACK POINTS!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Tuner) - LV3 - (600/200)

 _'Seriously, how has his lungs not killed him?!'_ Mitsumi thought. _'On a more serious note, it looks like he's preparing to Synchro Summon! And on his first turn! That puts me in a really bad disadvantage!'_

"I TUNE MY LEVEL 3 SPIRIT WITH MY LEVEL 5 COYOTE IN ORDER TO SYNCHRO SUMMON BROTHERHOOD OF THE FIRE FIST - KIRIN!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin - (FIRE/ Beast - Warrior/Synchro) - LV8 - (2000/2800)

"HE GAINS AN EXTRA 100 ATTACK POINTS BECAUSE OF FIRE FORMATION - TENKI!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin - (FIRE/ Beast - Warrior/Synchro) - LV8 - (2100/2800)

"WHEN KIRIN IS SYNCHRO SUMMONED, I CAN SET 1 FIRE FORMATION SPELL/TRAP CARD DIRECTLY FROM MY DECK TO THE FIELD! I END MY TURN!"

Upon witnessing Natsu do just that, Mitsumi pondered what the mysterious set card happened to be. She knew that it must belonged to the Fire Fist archetype, but she had no idea whether it was a deadly Spell or Trap unless either she or her opponent triggers it first.

"I draw!" Mitsumi called out. "I activate the Continuous Spell, Water Hazard! Once per turn, if I control no Monsters, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower WATER Monster from my hand! I Special Summon Gishki Reliever from my hand!"

Gishki Reliever - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (500/800)

"Now, I Normal Summon Gishki Abyss!"

Gishki Abyss - (WATER/Fish) - LV2 - (800/500)

"Abyss's effect activates! When he's summoned, I can add 1 Gishki Monster with 1000 or less Defense Points from my deck to my hand! I choose Gishki Shadow!

"KIRIN'S EFFECT ACTIVATES!" yelled Natsu. "ALL MONSTERS YOU CONTROL LOSES 100 ATTACK POINTS FOR EACH FACE-UP SPELL/TRAP I CONTROL!"

Gishki Reliever - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (400/800)

Gishki Abyss - (WATER/Fish) - LV2 - (700/500)

 _'I guess it won't really matter, because now it's time!'_ Mitsumi thought. "I Overlay my two Level 2 Monsters in order to build the Overlay Network! I XYZ Summon The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin!"

The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin - (DARK/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 2 - (1600/0)

"KIRIN'S EFFECT ACTIVATES ONCE MORE-"

"I'll stop you right there!" interrupted Mitsumi. "I activate Cursed Javelin's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can target a Monster you control, its Attack Points become 0, and its effects are negated! I choose your Kirin Monster!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin - (FIRE/ Beast - Warrior/Synchro) - LV8 - (100/2800)

 _'Thanks to his Fire Formation - Tenki Spell, his Monster still gains that additional 100 extra Attack Point bonus,'_ Mitsumi thought. _'No matter! That's just an additional bonus effect. At least he can't use the main effect of that Spell again, and he just used up one of his Spell/Trap Zones, so that's good for me!'_

Knowing there was nothing in his hand that could save him, Natsu ran around the Action Field, leaping from one rocky area to the next as Mitsumi followed after him. From what she learned from all of her previous official duels, it was that her opponent always had the field advantage not just because the Action Cards seem to benefit their decks, but also because the duelists themselves knew full well a lot more about the Action Fields than her. If that was the case, then instead of splitting up, it would be better if she followed after her opponent in hopes of reaching out more Actions Cards before they do.

An obvious physical advantage Natsu had over Mitsumi was that he was much more larger and muscular than her, thus he was physically more stronger than her. Additionally, like Mitsumi noted, he probably knew more about the volcanic terrain better than she does. As evident, he lifted up a heavy rock and spotted an Action Card right underneath it.

However, there was one physical advantage Mitsumi had over large but slightly slower opponents that she was quite proud and fond of; agility and nimbleness. She may not be as physically strong as Natsu, but power wasn't the only thing that can dictate the outcome of a duel; other factors such as speed and defense worked as well. The moment Natsu lifted up the rock and was about to put it aside, Mitsumi swooped in like a hawk and snatched the Action Card away, backflipping to a safer distance.

"HEY!"

"Finders keepers!" teased Mitsumi, grinning. Remembering that she had to maintain her shy façade, Mitsumi cleared her throat and got back into position. She glanced down at her card and decided not to use it for now. Perhaps later. "Attack Kirin, Cursed Javelin!"

Cursed Javelin raised his javelin and threw it towards Kirin like a spear, striking the Synchro Monster straight through the chest and defeating him.

 **Natsu - 2500 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"YOU'RE QUICK, LITTLE LADY! IMPRESSIVE!" bellowed Natsu.

"I set a card and end my turn!" shouted Mitsumi. _'Okay, so if he wanted to use that Set card against me, he would have already done so, meaning that it's safe for me to attack him. But, I still have to keep an eye out for what kind of card that is.'_

"MY TURN!" Natsu yelled, drawing his card. "I SUMMON BROTHERHOOD OF THE FIRE FIST - ELEPHANT TO THE FIELD!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

"IF THIS CARD IS NORMAL OR SPECIAL SUMMONED, I CAN SEND 1 FACE-UP FIRE FORMATION SPELL/TRAP I CONTROL TO THE GRAVEYARD! I SEND FIRE FORMATION - TENKI TO THE GRAVEYARD! NOW, I'M ALLOWED TO SPECIAL SUMMON 1 FIRE FIST MONSTER FROM MY HAND! I SPECIAL SUMMON BROTHERHOOD OF THE FIRE FIST - ROOSTER TO MY FIELD!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Rooster - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior) - LV3 - (1500/100)

"WHEN HE'S SPECIAL SUMMONED BY THE EFFECT OF A FIRE FIST MONSTER, I GET TO ADD A FIRE FIST MONSTER FROM MY DECK TO MY HAND! I TARGET 1 FIRE FORMATION SPELL/TRAP IN MY GRAVEYARD, SHUFFLE IT BACK INTO THE DECK, AND THEN ADD 1 LEVEL 5 OR HIGHER FIRE FIST MONSTER FROM MY DECK TO MY HAND! I SEND FIRE FORMATION - TENKI BACK TO MY DECK!"

 _'A pretty good combo. Now, what other tricks does he have?'_ Mitsumi thought.

"NOW I ACTIVATE MY SET CARD, FIRE FORMATION - INGEN! WHEN IT'S ACTIVATED, I CAN FUSION SUMMON 1 BEAST - WARRIOR FUSION MONSTER FROM MY EXTRA DECK, USING MONSTERS FROM MY HAND OR FIELD AS FUSION MATERIAL! I FUSE BOTH ELEPHANT AND ROOSTER TO FUSION SUMMON BROTHERHOOD OF THE FIRE FIST - SWAN!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2600/2200)

 _'First Synchro, and now Fusion? This guy's practically a jack-of-all-trades!'_ Mitsumi thought, sweat dripping down her neck as she raised her hand to wipe it off. _'Scratch that, a LOUD jack-of-all-trades!'_

"WHEN SWAN IS SPECIAL SUMMONED, I CAN INFLICT 200 POINTS OF DAMAGE TO YOU FOR EACH FIRE FORMATION SPELL/TRAP I CONTROL! I HAVE ONE, SO YOU GET HIT 200 POINTS OF DAMAGE!"

"Not so fast!" yelled Mitsumi. "I activate Cursed Javelin's effect! I detach his last Overlay Unit to make your Monster's Attack Points 0 and to negate his effects!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (0/2200)

"I EXPECTED THAT! I NOW ACTIVATE THE SPELL, FIRE FORMATION - YOKO! WHEN I ACTIVATE THIS CARD, I CAN TARGET 1 FACE-UP CARD YOU CONTROL, DISCARD 1 BEAST - WARRIOR - TYPE MONSTER IN MY HAND, AND IF I DO, YOUR CARD IS DESTROYED! I DESTROY YOUR CURSED JAVELIN!"

Mitsumi watched as she was left completely defenseless once her Monster was destroyed. _'Kinomaki-san played a lot of moves this round, but at least I managed to lower his Synchro Monster's Attack Points to 0. If he doesn't summon another Monster, then I'll be able to finish off his Synchro Monster next turn!'_ she thought.

"ADDITIONALLY, BECAUSE OF YOKO, ALL BEAST - WARRIOR - TYPE MONSTERS I CONTROL GAIN 100 EXTRA ATTACK POINTS!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (100/2200)

"FROM MY HAND, I SET A CARD AND ATTACK!"

The fiery powers of Swan sent a smog of his powers around Mitsumi, affecting her Life Points by only a little.

 **Natsu - 2500 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3900 LP**

"I END MY TURN!"

 _'I have a bit of a countermeasure if I summon a new Monster and choose to attack. If that Trap is something that'll destroy my Monster, then it's something I'll risk as long as I have my set card,'_ Mitsumi thought, drawing her card. "I activate the effect of my Spell, Water Hazard, to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower WATER Monster from my hand! I Special Summon Gishki Avance!"

Gishki Avance - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1500/800)

"Now, I Normal Summon Gishki Mollusk from my hand!"

Gishki Mollusk - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (1700/900)

"I activate Avance's effect! Once per turn, I can choose a Gishki Monster from my deck and place it on top of my deck! I now Overlay my two Level 4 WATER Monsters in order to build the Overlay Network! I XYZ Summon Evigishki Merrowgeist!"

Evigishki Merrowgeist - (WATER/Aqua/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2100/1600)

"I attack with Merrowgeist!" commanded Mitsumi, chasing after Natsu as soon as she saw him running towards an Action Card. "Action Card, Flame Ball! You get hit 200 Points of Damage!"

Just before Natsu could grab the Action Card he was going for, he was thrown back by a sudden fireball blast, throwing him high in the air. Luckily for him, he spotted an Action Card and caught it mid-air before twirling acrobatically, landing safely on a rock.

 **Natsu - 2300 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3900 LP**

"I ACTIVATE MY CONTINUOUS TRAP, FIRE FORMATION - TENSEN! WHEN THIS CARD IS ACTIVATED, I TARGET 1 BEAST - WARRIOR - TYPE MONSTER I CONTROL, IT GAINS 700 EXTRA ATTACK POINTS UNTIL THE END OF THIS TURN! AND, ALL BEAST - WARRIOR - TYPE MONSTER I CONTROL GAIN 300 EXTRA ATTACK POINTS! A TOTAL OF 1000 EXTRA ATTACK POINTS!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (1100/2200)

"Even so, I'm still going to attack!" Mitsumi said. "Go! Finish him off!"

Evigishki Merrowgeist slashed through Swan numerous times with her sharp weapon, defeating him in a fell swoop just as Natsu activated the Action Card he managed to grab earlier.

Mitsumi glanced over at her D-Pad screen, surprised to see no change in Natsu's Life Points whatsoever. "What the-?! What went wrong?!"

"I ACTIVATED THE ACTION CARD, ZERO DESTRUCTION!" announced Natsu. "THAT MEANT THAT I RECEIVE NO BATTLE DAMAGE IF MY MONSTER GETS DESTROYED!"

 _'He got lucky! Even so, the more important thing is that his Monster got destroyed,'_ Mitsumi thought before her eyes widened. _'Oh, that's right! I have to activate Merrowgeist's effect now!'_

"I-I activate Merrowgeist's effect!" Mitsumi called out. "After damage calculation, if she destroys an opponent's Monster by battle, I can detach an Overlay Unit! By doing so, the destroyed Monster is shuffled back into the deck instead of being sent to the Graveyard! Well, since Swan was a Fusion Monster, I guess it goes back to the Extra Deck! Now, I end my turn!"

"YOU'RE REALLY INTERESTING! NOBODY'S BEEN ABLE TO DESTROY TWO OF MY BEST BIG HITTERS!" complimented Natsu, drawing his card. "I ACTIVATE THE SPELL, MAGIC PLANTER! BY SENDING 1 FACE - UP CONTINUOUS TRAP I CONTROL TO THE GRAVEYARD, I GET TO DRAW 2 CARDS! I SEND FIRE FORMATION - TENSEN TO THE GRAVEYARD AND DRAW TWO CARDS! NOW I ACTIVATE THE SPELL, ONSLAUGHT OF THE FIRE KINGS! IF YOU CONTROL A MONSTER AND I DON'T, I GET TO SPECIAL SUMMON 1 FIRE BEAST - WARRIOR MONSTER FROM MY DECK, BUT ITS EFFECTS ARE NEGATED AND ITS DESTROYED AT THE END OF MY TURN! I SPECIAL SUMMON BROTHERHOOD OF THE FIRE FIST - RAVEN TO THE FIELD!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Raven - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior) - LV3 - (200/1800)

"FIRE FORMATION - YOKO'S EFFECT ALLOWS RAVEN TO GAIN 100 EXTRA ATTACK POINTS!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Raven - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior) - LV3 - (300/1800)

"I ACTIVATE THE CONTINUOUS SPELL, FIRE FORMATION - DOMEI! BY ACTIVATING THIS SPELL, I CAN RITUAL SUMMON 1 BEAST - WARRIOR RITUAL MONSTER FROM MY HAND BY TRIBUTING MONSTERS FROM MY HAND OR FIELD WHOSE TOTAL LEVELS EQUAL OR EXCEED ITS LEVEL! I SACRIFICE RAVEN ON THE FIELD AND BUFFALO FROM MY HAND IN ORDER TO RITUAL SUMMON BROTHERHOOD OF THE FIRE FIST - ELAND!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eland - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Ritual) - LV6 - (2400/2000)

"AND BECAUSE OF FIRE FORMATION - YOKO, MY RITUAL MONSTER GAINS 100 EXTRA ATTACK POINTS!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eland - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Ritual) - LV6 - (2500/2000)

 _'A Ritual Summoning this time? And he's much more stronger than Merrowgeist!'_ Mitsumi thought. _'I have to be careful about this!'_

"BY SENDING A TOTAL OF 2 FIRE FIST/FIRE FORMATION CARDS FROM MY HAND AND/OR FACE-UP ON MY FIELD TO THE GRAVEYARD, I CAN SPECIAL SUMMON BUFFALO BACK TO THE FIELD! I SEND INGEN AND DOMEI TO THE GRAVEYARD TO SPECIAL SUMMON BUFFALO!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior) - LV4 - (1700/1000)

"FIRE FORMATION - YOKO'S EFFECT ALLOWS BUFFALO TO GAIN 100 EXTRA ATTACK POINTS!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior) - LV4 - (1800/1000)

"NOW, DOMEI'S EFFECT ACTIVATES! IF IT'S SENT FROM THE SPELL AND TRAP ZONE TO THE GRAVEYARD, I CAN TARGET 1 FIRE FIST MONSTER IN MY GRAVEYARD AND I GET TO SPECIAL SUMMON IT! I SPECIAL SUMMON SPIRIT!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Tuner) - LV3 - (500/200)

"AND NOW, FIRE FORMATION - YOKO'S EFFECT LETS HIM GAIN 100 ATTACK POINTS!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Tuner) - LV3 - (600/200)

"INGEN'S EFFECT, ONCE SENT FROM THE SPELL/TRAP ZONE TO THE GRAVEYARD, LETS ME TARGET 1 FIRE FIST MONSTER FROM MY GRAVEYARD AND ADD IT TO MY HAND! I ADD ELEPHANT TO MY HAND! NOW I NORMAL SUMMON HIM TO THE FIELD!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

"And because of that Yoko Spell, he gains 100 extra Attack Points, right?" Mitsumi asked.

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior) - LV4 - (1100/1800)

Natsu nodded. "NOT FOR LONG, THOUGH! BY SENDING 1 FACE-UP FIRE FORMATION SPELL/TRAP CARD I CONTROL TO THE GRAVEYARD, I GET TO SPECIAL SUMMON 1 FIRE FIST MONSTER FROM MY HAND! I SEND YOKO TO THE GRAVEYARD AND SPECIAL SUMMON FROM MY HAND LEOPARD TO THE FIELD!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard - (FIRE/BEAST - WARRIOR) - LV3 - (0/200)

"But, because you gave away Yoko, that means none of your Monsters gets the 100 Attack Point bonus," Mitsumi pointed out.

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Tuner) - LV3 - (500/200)

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Buffalo - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior) - LV4 - (1700/1000)

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eland - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Ritual) - LV6 - (2400/2000)

"THE PREPARATIONS ARE ALL SET! I OVERLAY MY TWO LEVEL 4 MONSTERS IN ORDER TO BUILD THE OVERLAY NETWORK I XYZ SUMMON BROTHERHOOD OF THE FIRE FIST - TIGER KING!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Tiger King - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2200/1800)

"NOW I TUNE LEVEL 3 SPIRIT WITH MY LEVEL 3 LEOPARD TO SYNCHRO SUMMON BROTHERHOOD OF THE FIRE FIST - HORSE PRINCE!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Horse Prince - (FIRE/Beast - Warrior/Synchro) - LV6 - (2200/2200)

"WHEN HE'S SYNCHRO SUMMNED, I CAN SPECIAL SUMMON 1 LEVEL 3 FIRE MONSTER FROM MY DECK! I SPECIAL SUMMON HAWK IN DEFENSE MODE!"

Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Hawk - (FIRE/Beast-Warrior) - LV3 - (200/1500)

"AFTER SYNCHRO SUMMONING HORSE PRINCE, I CANNOT SPECIAL SUMMON ANY LEVEL 5 OR HIGHER MONSTERS FOR THE REST OF THIS TURN!"

 _'He's got so many powerful Monsters! I'll be demolished if I don't find something to help me out!'_ Mitsumi thought, running around and searching for an Action Card.

"BATTLE! HORSE PRINCE DESTROYS YOUR XYZ MONSTER!"

Mitsumi tried searching around, but the heat of the volcanic area was getting to her, thus slowing down her process effectively. She heard the sound of her Monster being destroyed and winched as her Life Points were depleted.

 **Natsu - 2300 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3800 LP**

"ATTACK HER DIRECTLY, ELAND!"

Mitsumi had been anticipating a direct assault sooner or later, so while she still searched for an Action Card, she activated her set card. "I activate my Trap, Aquamirror Illusion! I Special Summon a Gishki Ritual Monster from my hand! It can't attack, and it's returned to my hand during the End Phase! I Special Summon Evigishki Zielgigas!"

Evigishki Zielgigas - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual)- LV10 - (3200/0)

Natsu was too late to pull back his attack, and both Zielgigas and Eland clashed against each other. Zielgigas grasped Eland's head and utterly crushed it, resulting in a huge explosion.

 **Natsu - 1500 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3800 LP**

"Still...want...to...continue?" asked Mitsumi, trying to frantically wipe off the sweat off her body.

Knowing there was nothing more he can do, Natsu proclaimed, "I END MY TURN!"

"At...At this moment, Zielgigas returns to my hand!" Mitsumi said. "I draw! I Normal Summon Gishki Chain!"

Gishki Chain - (WATER/Sea Serpent) - LV4 - (1800/1000)

"When he's Normal Summoned, I can look at the top 3 cards in my deck! I can reveal 1 Ritual Monster or Ritual Spell amongst them and add them to my hand! I add the Ritual Spell, Gishki Aquamirror, to my hand! Now I have to place the remaining cards back to the top of my deck in any order! I now activate Gishki Aquamirror and use Gishki Shadow as the entire requirement for the Tribute payment! I Ritual Summon Evigishki Zielgigas!"

Evigishki Zielgigas - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual)- LV10 - (3200/0)

"Zielgigas' effect activates! Once per turn, I can pay 1000 Life Points, draw a card, reveal it, and if it's a Gishki Monster, I get to shuffle 1 card from the field into the deck! I draw!"

 **Natsu - 1500 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 2800 LP**

Because of Gishki Chain's effect, Mitsumi had the advantage and saw the other two remaining cards before rearranging them in the order she wanted.

"I drew the card, Gishki Ariel! That means that I get to shuffle 1 card on the field! I shuffle your XYZ Monster back to your Extra Deck!"

"OH NO!" cried out Natsu, watching as one of his most powerful Monsters was forced to retreat, leaving him with only one defensive Monster. It didn't matter whichever Monster Mitsumi chose, because either way, once his defense was gone, he was wide open for one last direct attack that would surely wipe out the remainder of his Life Points and make him lose the duel!

"Gishki Chain, destroy his Monster!" ordered Mitsumi. "Afterwards, Zielgigas, attack Kinomaki-san directly!"

The two WATER Attribute Monsters set out to work upon their mistress's orders. Gishki Chain wrapped his chain weapon around Hawk before blasting him full on with a water blast, extinguishing the fires of the fight and destroying him. Zielgigas bypassed his ally and unleashed a fully-powered geyser blast that sent Natsu flying around until he crashed landed on the ground, defeated.

 **Natsu - 0 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 2800 LP**

 **Winner: Mitsumi**

Once the Action Field returned to normal, Mitsumi collapsed to her knees, panting as sweat continued to dripple down her body. It felt like over a 1000 degrees within that Action Field! Combined that with the intense atmosphere and training grounds of the Duel School, and it was like a desert inside!

"YOU DID GOOD!"

Mitsumi jumped, startled at the loud voice that was now ringing in her ears. Honestly, she was feeling a major headache from having to hear his loud voice during the duel and now it even worsened after experiencing such a tough heat wave. She was sweaty, thirsty, dizzy, and she wanted to go home, but she had a promise to keep to Clover, so maybe she should cool off once she leaves this place.

Mitsumi glanced up and saw an ice cold water bottle being offered to her. "T-Thank you..." she said gratefully, taking the water bottle and gulping down the contents within seconds. She was offered a second water bottle by Natsu, something she took, although, she did slow down a bit and felt a little bit better than before.

"YOUR DUELING WAS FANTASTIC! I LEARNED A LOT FROM IT! IT WAS A GOOD CHOICE ACCEPTING YOU AS MY OPPONENT FOR AN OFFICIAL DUEL! COME BY AND DUEL ME AGAIN SOMETIME!"

 _'I don't think I ever want to come back here again, but I don't want to hurt his feelings by saying it in a blunt manner. He seems like an okay guy...once you get past all of his loudness,'_ Mitsumi thought. "I...I'll think about it. Right now, I really don't feel like dueling again. I think I'm just going to leave, but thank you for a wonderful duel!"

"YOU'RE WELCOME!"

"And, could you please lower down your voice? It's really not helping!"

"MY APOLOGIES!"

"Urgh…"

* * *

 **It did take a while to finish this duel because I've been researching all kinds of the Brotherhood of the Fire Fist cards and trying to keep track of the calculations and good combos to go along with this duel! I hope I did a good job! Read and review!~**


	17. Phantom Feelings

**Did I say that this would be the last duel in Mitsumi's perspective? Well, in terms of the official, scheduled duels, yes, but besides that? No! You'll have to see!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

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"I want dessert! It's not fair! That salad didn't fill me up!"

"Wow, you're starting to sound like my other friend, Sora. And besides, you ate a large salad! It even had lots of fruit in it!"

"Only because you ordered it for me!"

"It was the only order you were willing to accept."

"Gaaaah! It even had veggies in it!"

"Some fruit salads have vegetables in them. This was just one of them."

"Grrrr….! Nazuno-kun, you demon!"

"Eh, I've been called worse. Besides, why are you complaining? I'm the one paying for dinner. And this is nutritious for you."

"Mmmm...Yeah, you're right...even if I still hate veggies..."

Both Mitsumi and Clover were inside the Garden Tea restaurant, having finished their salad dinners and were now conversing with one another. Slightly annoyed, but mostly amused, Mitsumi listened to Clover complaining about wanting dessert and being forced to eat a salad. Mitsumi wasn't even fazed, as this wasn't the first time she's been in a similar topic conversation, as evident as when she sometimes cooked nutritious meals for her friends, like Yuya, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka. Sweets weren't the only thing she was good at.

After being handed the bill during their conversation, Mitsumi went to pay for it when Clover stopped her. "Wait. I have something to tell you."

"Oh? That you're going to stop whining, be a gentleman, and pay for dinner?" teased Mitsumi.

Clover grinned. "What? And bail out of a free dinner? No way!"

Mitsumi frowned, pouting. "Jerk."

"Hey, you offered in the first place! But, yeah. I will stop whining. Anyways, I wanted to give you something. It's thanks for paying for dinner and for helping me a lot right before dinner."

What Clover had been referring to was after Mitsumi's final, official duel of the day, she went back to Gear Gadget Dueling School because she had promised to be Clover's assistant in whatever he was making for a few hours. Upon returning, not only has she been a huge help in organizing things and helping him work on his new inventions, but she learned a great new deal on fixing machinery as well, and it helped that Clover was there to help explain everything.

Now, as thanks for everything today, Clover handed Mitsumi...a cute bunny rabbit badge.

"Huh? Oh...thanks?"

"That, is my latest, new invention!" declared Clover, pushing up his glasses and grinning. "The Video Cam Badge 2000!"

"Wait, what? As usual, your name titles are as ridiculous as ever," Mitsumi pointed out. "An new invention, though? What does it do?"

Clover grinned maliciously. "Oh, I have so much to tell you about my wonderful new invention..."

* * *

 _Later..._

 _'If I had known that Clover's explanation of his new invention was going to be this long, I should have waited until after I got back home to call him and ask him to explain it all to me,'_ Mitsumi thought, letting out a yawn as she walked down the streets with the streetlights providing as her only source of light. She glanced down at her rabbit badge before putting it back inside her pocket. _'I might not have a need for it, but it might come in handy to keep for now.'_

Just as she turned a corner, she heard the thud sound and went towards the source of the source to investigate, much to her curiosity. She was shocked to see a familiar cloaked figure collapsed on the ground facedown and rushed to his aid.

"Hey! Are you okay?!" Mitsumi asked, turning him around and gasping. "You-! You're-!"

Though she only saw him once before, she recognized him by his garnish attire and mask with goggles. It was the same mysterious duelist that saved both her and Yuzu that one time when they confronted Shingo and his goons. The one with the strange Phantom Knights XYZ deck. The one...who's probably and most likely the owner of The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin card that she had in her possession.

She leaned her head towards his chest, checking to make sure he was alive, and sure enough, his heart was still beating. Before she could do anything, a loud, grumbling sound came from the masked duelist's stomach, and an awkward tension filled the air.

 _'Did...did he faint out of hunger?'_ Mitsumi thought, sweatdropping. Deciding that she couldn't simply leave him like this, she placed him on her back and hooked her arms underneath his legs, leaning forward as to not make his form fall. Her home wasn't very far, luckily, so it wouldn't be much of a hassle to carry him all the way back home. And, because her grandmother is a kindred soul, she would understand if Mitsumi explained the need to care for the masked duelist and what he's done to earn her kindness.

* * *

When Yuto woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. Scratch that, it was more like an unfamiliar bedroom. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was him being into a huge argument with Shun, the jerk punching him in the face before taking off, and Yuto trying to get some food because he hasn't eaten properly in the past few days.

He and Shun had an argument about their investigation and the way they were handling things. Yuto had spent days investigating LDS and trying to find out whether or not they were associated with Academia, but found no proof whatsoever. As for Shun, he was growing more and more restless and reckless with his own violent methods; dueling Fusion LDS students and then carding them once he won each duel. Yuto hated Fusion Summoning just as much as Shun, but he heavily disagreed with him carding innocent duelists, something Shun didn't agree with because he believed that all Fusion users were evil, especially those associated with Academia and LDS. As a result, their argument ended on a heavy note, as well as Shun punching him in the face.

His recent, new injury combined with lack of rest and hunger was reasonable enough to understand why and how he had collapsed in the middle of the streets. He had expected to wake up, more tired and hungry than before, which his current condition screamed that he was. However, he expected to do so still in the streets and not inside a warm, cozy bedroom.

"Where...am I?" he muttered, clutching his forehead as he sat up. He appeared to be in a girl's bedroom, judging by some of the feminine parts within the bedroom, like cute stickers on the walls and some stuffed animals on the bed. He spotted his mask at the desk and got up from the bed to pick it up. He then heard some muffled voices behind the closed bedroom door and began walking towards the door. He twisted the door knob gently and carefully, as to not make any noise, before slowly opening the door and peeking his head out a little to see what was happening.

Mitsumi was gently rubbing her grandmother's back as she helped escort her down the stairs, grasping the elderly woman's hand as they slowly descended down the stairs. "There, there, Grandma...Just take it easy, alright? After we feed you some soup, you can go upstairs and get some sleep."

Mitsumi's grandmother, Aoi, smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Mitsumi-chan...I do feel a bit hungry, but my arms are a bit tired from today's work. The flower shop was quite busy today...would it be okay if you helped me?"

"Sure. I already ate dinner anyways, so I'll help spoon feed you. Would you like some tea or water?"

"Some water would be nice. Would you be a dear and put some ice in it as well?"

"Hahaha...Sure."

"Hmm? What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just...today, I felt really hot, so I drank some ice cold wa-well, I drank two ice cold water bottles."

"Oh, it must have been extremely hot today if you had to do that."

Slightly heartwarmed upon witnessing the interaction between granddaughter and grandmother, Yuto leaned in a bit closer as he watched them head down the stairs, but in doing so, he not only opened more of the door, but also accidentally caused the door to let out a creak sound, loud enough for Mitsumi and Aoi to hear.

Turning around, the two females saw Yuto peeking out from the door, and only then did Yuto realized his mistake. Mitsumi blinked in surprise while Aoi smiled and gently removed Mitsumi's arms off her, turning around to welcome Yuto.

"Oh, you're awake! You must be the young, kind individual that helped my granddaughter a while back! Please, come join us at the dining table!"

"It's not much, but we do have soup and water. If you don't want water, I can brew you some tea," offered Mitsumi.

Seeing as there's no point in hiding himself any further, Yuto opened the door fully and stepped out from the bedroom. "I-I appreciate the sentiment, but I really must get going. Besides, I'm not hungry-"

Just then, his stomach growled loudly, prompting Yuto to blush to look away as Aoi giggled to herself.

"Yeah, you're _definitely_ not hungry," Mitsumi said sarcastically.

"...I suppose a bowl of soup wouldn't hurt."

And so, Yuto found himself seated at the dining table, sitting next to a sweet grandmother as her own granddaughter not only gave them soup, but was now the only one not eating anything. Instead, she was doing assisting her grandmother by spoon feeding her, softly blowing off the heat before feeding her grandmother little by little. While Yuto himself was eating the delicious soup, he couldn't help but watch such a heartwarming moment, knowing that behind the actions and the emotion behind the young girl's eyes, that was true, genuine love for her family right there.

It almost made Yuto envious of the girl, who hasn't even suffered through the same experiences he had. He ceased any thoughts of envy, though, as anything bad that's happened in his life wasn't and never was her fault to begin with. Instead, while finishing his soup, he simply stayed quiet and enjoyed watching the interaction between Aoi and Mitsumi. For just a little while, instead of constantly looking behind his back and having to keep his guard up, he could relax at this heartwarming scene before him.

Once both had finished their soups, Mitsumi took the soup bowls away to put into the kitchen sink. As she was doing so, Aoi turned to Yuto and smiled. "Well, you certainly are a handsome young man! Why, if I was your age, I believe I would have fallen head over heels for you! Aha!"

Yuto scratched his cheek. "Uh...Yeah, aha...I actually have someone else I like, so no...thank you?"

"Oh, really? A shame. I would have thought that Mitsumi-chan finally brought over a boyfriend, especially after telling me why she brought you here, but to hear you say you already have a girlfriend is a shame. I would have liked Mitsumi-chan to have a nice, gentle boyfriend."

Yuto flustered. "I don't-! I...A-Anyways, that girl that left just now...that's your granddaughter, correct?"

Aoi nodded. "Yes, that's right. Oh, we both were so hungry, we didn't introduce ourselves. My apologies! My name is Aoi Nazuno, and that girl you saw before is my granddaughter, Mitsumi Nazuno."

Yuto softened his expression and shook his head. "No, there's no need to apologize, especially since you went out of your way to help a stranger like me. You can call me Yuto. Er...might I ask why you decided to help me?"

"Oh, dear, I wasn't the one who brought you back home. My dear Mitsumi-chan was the one who carried you back home," said Aoi. "After she dropped you off to her bedroom, she started preparing some food. She then explained to me that you saved her one time and that she had something to give back to you. Also, she said something about not willing to leave you unconsciousness in the middle of the street."

"I...saved her?" wondered Yuto, confused. _'Strange...I don't remember her. I think this is just my first time meeting her, though.'_

Mitsumi returned, seeing her grandmother and Yuto talking to each other. "Hey, I see you're getting along with my grandmother," said Mitsumi to Yuto. "Sorry if she said some embarrassing things."

Yuto shook his head. "Oh, no. Your grandmother has been excellent company. I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Yuto."

"And I'm Mitsumi. You probably already know that because my grandma told you, right?"

"Yeah. I also wanted to talk to you about something."

Mitsumi nodded. "Yeah, I know. I have an idea what you want to talk about. But, before that, could you be willing to wait? I want to put my grandmother to sleep first. If you could wait until then, I would appreciate it."

Aoi pouted. "What? I want to hear this, too!"

"Grandma, you have to leave for work tomorrow, and you need a lot of rest in your body. I'll tell you everything tomorrow, alright?"

"Alright..." Aoi sighed, knowing that her granddaughter brought up good points and that she was feeling rather tired. "I apologize, but I am rather tired. Goodnight, Yuto."

Yuto nodded in understanding. "Goodnight, Nazuno-san. You deserve some rest."

Yuto sat in waiting at the dining table as Mitsumi escorted Aoi back upstairs towards her room. He tapped his fingers against the table, pondering on what his next move should be. Because he got into a heated argument with Shun, he figured he should avoid Shun for now to allow the both of them to cool off. He knew he had to get more information on both Academia and LDS, but he didn't know what the next step should be. Should he continue with his own methods? Because there was no way he was carding innocents the same way Shun was.

He was so lost in thought, he didn't notice Mitsumi trying to call out to him until he felt something on his shoulder. He glanced up and saw Mitsumi shaking him by the shoulder with a concerned look. "Hey, are you okay? I've been calling out to you."

"I...I'm sorry, I just have a lot in mind," assured Yuto, gently pushing her hand off. "Would it be okay if we talked outside and not here? I'm afraid the volume of our conversation might wake up your grandmother."

That, and because if Yuto saw Mitsumi as some sort of danger, which is probably unlikely, then it would be easier escaping than being confined inside.

Mitsumi nodded. "Sure, I don't mind."

Once they head outside, Yuto waited until Mitsumi closed the door and then faced her. "So, why did you save me? Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that you did, but you didn't have to, so why?"

"I couldn't leave a helpless person out in the streets like that," said Mitsumi. "To be honest, I was heading back home, but then I heard a thud sound, so when I investigated, I saw you. So, I took you back home."

"There's more to it than just that, right?" questioned Yuto, crossing his arms. "Your grandmother told me that you had two more reasons that you had for saving me. One, because I saved you, and two, because you had something to give back to me. But, I don't recall saving you. In fact, I believe this is our first meeting."

Mitsumi nodded. "Well, we did meet before, but we didn't really talk. Do you remember dueling some prick-I mean, student inside a warehouse? Me and my friend, Yuzu, were there, and you decided to come to the rescue and duel that guy inside the warehouse."

Yuto's eyes narrowed when he caught the slight sharp tone in her voice. Just now, the student she described might have been someone she heavily disliked, but tried to cover up by faking a gentler tone. Such attention to detail did not escape his eyes or ears.

"...You're going to have to elaborate."

"Well...he had an ice deck when he dueled you, and from what I can tell, you were showing him the LDS badge and asking him whether or not he knew about Academia."

Yuto suddenly realized what she was referring to. Yes, he did attack that duelist she was describing a while back, but he paid no more heed to that duelist once he got the information he gotten. Come to think of it, he did intervene because that girl back then resembled Ruri, and he did encounter the same girl today, telling her that Fusion wasn't suited for her. Additionally, now that he thought more about that incident, he did recall another girl standing near Yuzu and assumed that that very same girl was Mitsumi. That would make saving him a lot more sense.

"I see, so you saving me was because you wanted to repay back for saving both you and your friend," murmured Yuto.

Mitsumi nodded. "That's only part of it. The second reason was because, I wanted to give this card back to you."

To his shock, she took out The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin, one of his XYZ Monsters. He had been missing this for a while and thought he misplaced it in his clothes or pockets or something, but to think she had it all along-!

He snatched the Monster card away from her hands and tucked it back safely in his Extra Deck. "Where did you find that?!"

"After you left the warehouse, I noticed the card on the ground and picked it up. I did try finding you in order to return to you, but I kinda had no leads, so I was going around in random areas," explained Mitsumi.

"...Did you use it?"

"Yes, I did."

Yuto blinked in surprise. "Oh...I kinda expected you to lie."

"No, not in this case. Honestly, if I didn't find you, and too much time had passed, I had thought of keeping the card for myself. I'm sorry for thinking like that, though."

Yuto shook his head. "No, the fact that you chose to try and find and return the card it back to me means a lot. Thank you. Although..."

"Although, what?"

"I...felt something about it. Like, it's been handled roughly, yet gently at the same time. It wasn't misused for malicious deeds, but it was still handled roughly...That's the first time I've felt something like that, even if I accidentally lost it to a temporary owner."

"...Are you okay?" Mitsumi asked.

"...What can I call you?" Yuto asked.

"What?"

"What can I refer to you as? Mitsumi? Nazuno-san? Nazuno-kun? Mitsumi-kun?"

Mitsumi shrugged. "You can call me whatever you want, but...if it's alright, can you not call me Mitsumi-chan or something like that?"

Yuto nodded. "Of course. Nazuno-kun, would...would you be willing to duel with me?"

"No."

Yuto was immediately taken aback by her quick response. "T-That was quick."

Mitsumi blinked. "Ah...I'm sorry. If I was rude, then I apologize."

She said that so sincerely, anyone would believe her, but looking at her eyes, Yuto didn't see any kind of sincerity. Well, there was a bit, but it was mostly annoyance he saw behind those eyes.

"May I ask why you won't duel with me?" asked Yuto, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

 _'He's really eager to duel me, huh?'_ thought Mitsumi. "Well, I'm not really that strong of a duelist, and even if I do win duels, it's mostly because of luck! Even though I've been improving, I still have a lot to learn! Besides, you beat Sawatari-san! You know, the guy you dueled back in the warehouse? I only beat him one time, but that was a long time ago, but he always beats me in a duel! If I can't beat him, then I clearly can't beat you! You're too powerful for me!"

 _'...She's trying to put herself down a lot and trying to compliment me at the same time, why? Does she really not want to duel me?'_ thought Yuto. _'...She's not a bad person, I can tell that much, but I do sense a fierce fighting spirit within her lying dormant. Who knows, even her dueling may be even sharper than that guy I dueled in the warehouse.'_

"We won't know until we try," Yuto said. "Just give it a chance."

Mitsumi stepped back, looking away. "I-I really shouldn't! It's getting late, you know. I have things to do tomorrow, so I have to get up early. Why not duel me again some other time?" _'What the hell is wrong with this guy? Why's he so insistent on dueling me?'_

Yuto shook his head. "Unfortunately, I have business of my own, so I'll be busy. I don't mean to pressure you or anything, but I really do want to put your skills to the test."

 _'Yeah, I'm not falling for his peer pressure tactic. I'll just politely refuse him over and over until he leaves,'_ Mitsumi thought. "I'm really sorry, but I honestly have no desire to duel you."

"Like I said, please give it a chance. I simply want to test your skills."

Try as she might, nothing Mitsumi could do could make Yuto cease his constant requesting to duel her. Hell, even Shingo's continuous flirting and requests for dates and/or kisses was slightly more tolerable than this! ...Scratch that, Mitsumi would prefer this situation over that. This situation reminded Mitsumi of one of the video game RPGs she used to play with Yuya, where no matter how many times she chose the "No" option, the game wouldn't proceed until she chose "Yes" which would begin the next cutscene. All she knew was that Yuto wouldn't leave until she dueled him, so it was either stand all night arguing and getting as little sleep as ever, or grant his request, and then hurry back up and drop dead sleeping in her bed until the next morning. She really was too tired from today's events to put up with anymore idiocy.

"You know what? FINE! I'll duel with you!" Mitsumi snapped, rubbing her forehead. "...I'm sorry, I didn't meant to snap at you. It's just...been a really, REALLY long day."

Yuto nodded, feeling sorry for constantly asking her over and over. Normally, he wouldn't do this sort of thing. If someone refused his request for a duel, he would respect their decision and leave them alone. However, he did sense some sort of potential within Mitsumi. He knew that she wasn't an enemy and just a normal person living their ordinary life with her grandmother. As short as it was, he truly did enjoy spending time with Mitsumi and her grandmother, loving the way they interacted, as it was both kind and heartwarming and reminded him of home.

However, the cruel reality brought him back up to shape. Academia, his worst enemy, will not hesitate to card a grandmother and her granddaughter. Hell, he's even seen Academia soldiers card children and babies! He doesn't want anything bad to happen to innocent people, so, in a way, he'll be teaching her how to be relentless and merciless during their duel together. He'll have to go all-out to make her feel the pressure and for her to improve, in case she ever encounters any sort of danger like Academia.

He wasn't lying when he said he wanted to test her skills, but teaching her a way to protect herself also wasn't the only reason. In fact, in a strange way, he could sense that she is relentless and merciless, but it's hidden dormant within her. She's also hiding her true self inside, and he sensed through their conversation that whatever lied within wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but...something dangerous. A dangerous potential to hurt, while also holding a desire to protect. Yuto knew he and Shun and the rest of the Resistance were like that, so why was Mitsumi like that, too?

"Ah, but if we're going to duel, can we not do it here or in the streets? In fact, can we go somewhere close by, but more spacious?" Mitsumi requested.

"I don't mind, but may I ask why?"

"Well, I remember that you caused quite a lot of damage in your duel with Sawatari-san. Like, somehow, your attacks seem a lot real. I don't want to damage the house or cause any ruckus within the neighborhood."

Yuto nodded, understanding what he meant. "I understand. Where do you suggest we go?"

"How about the park? I mean, it's a little far, but it's a lot spacious, and because there's only benches and swing sets there, not a lot of children go there. It's no Central Park, but...well, it's not really a popular park, but it still has lots of space."

"That's fine with me."

* * *

 _At the park..._

 _'She...she's definitely annoyed at me,'_ Yuto thought, sweatdropping when he saw the "polite smile" on her face as well as her waving at him. _'I honestly can't blame her for that, but this is for her own good!'_

 _'I wonder, should I purposely lose, or should I actually go all-out?'_ wondered Mitsumi to herself. _'Maybe I should go all-out after all, but then lose, After all, his dueling is abnormal and capable of dealing actual damage for some reason. I have to defend myself, after all. Well, I guess one good thing about this duel is that it's an Action Duel, and there's no need to do that stupid Action Duel incantation. I wonder why everyone does it, anyways?'_

"Are you ready, Nazuno-kun?"

"Of course, Yuto-san!"

"DUEL!"

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Yuto - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"I'll begin!" declared Yuto. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

 _'Last time, I noticed that he had set all five of his cards facedown, but now, he's thrown down only two. Shingo had the right idea to destroy them because at the time, it was obvious that they were Traps, but that backfired on him anyways,'_ Mitsumi thought, drawing her card. _'Right now, I don't have anything that can destroy his facedown cards, but at the same time, I don't want to trigger anything. Instead, I should just focus on defense!'_

 _'She's bidding her time. I can see it in her expression, unlike that other guy who was too cocky, overconfident, and was quick to play his cards,'_ Yuto thought. _'Good, you can't rush. You have to think things carefully, otherwise, your rash actions will leave you with terrible consequences.'_

"I set a card facedown and a Monster facedown and end my turn!" decided Mitsumi. _'The best thing about this duel is that I know about his deck, but he doesn't know mine! This gives me an advantage!'_

 _'Hmm...she's playing me. She knows that she knows my deck, but I don't know hers, and she's still keeping it anonymous while still putting up a good defense. Not bad,'_ thought Yuto, impressed as he drew his card. "My turn! I activate the Trap card, The Phantom Knights of Shade Brigandine! I Special Summon this card as a Monster in Defense Mode!"

The Phantom Knights of Shade Brigandine - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (0/300)

A shocked expression formed itself on Mitsumi's face. _'One of them was a Pseudo-Trap Monster the entire time?! Shit! That means he can now Normal Summon another Level 4 Monster, and then XYZ Summon that Dragon from last time!'_

 _'Judging from her expression, I think she'll think that I'm going to XYZ Summon Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon. Like I'm that foolish enough to send out my ace Monster so early,'_ Yuto thought. "I Normal Summon The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm from my hand!"

The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (1500/500)

 _'Here it comes! His XYZ Monster!'_ thought Mitsumi, readying herself.

 _'...I know I said that I couldn't hold back against her, but right now, I think I'll attack. I need to know more about her deck in case she does have something up against Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon. I don't normally recklessly attack, but just this once!'_ Yuto thought. "I attack with Cloven Helm!"

"Huh?"

Cloven Helm charged forth and headbutted into Mitsumi's Set Monster, only to bounce back to Yuto's field as his headbutt attack didn't work. Mitsumi's Set Monster revealed herself to be Gishki Ariel, who proved to have the higher defense, thus the reason for Cloven Helm's failed attempt at destroying her.

Gishki Ariel - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

 **Yuto - 3700 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 _'W-What?! Why would he suddenly attack instead of XYZ Summoning?! It was his big chance!'_ Mitsumi thought before shaking her head. _'No, stay focus, Mitsumi! This is a big opportunity for you! I dunno why he didn't suddenly XYZ Summon, but now you can destroy his XYZ Material Monsters before he has the chance!'_

"I activate the effect of Ariel's Flip effect!" Mitsumi announced. "I now add 1 Gishki Monster from my deck to my hand!"

"...I end my turn," decided Yuto.

"I draw!" Mitsumi said. "I activate Gishki Shadow's effect from my hand! I discard him to add a Gishki Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand! I now activate the Ritual Spell, Forbidden Arts of the Gishki! I must Tribute face-up Monsters anywhere on the field whose total Levels equal the Level of the Ritual Monster I Ritual Summon! And when I mean anywhere on the field, that includes your Monsters, too!"

"What?!" exclaimed Yuto, shocked.

Mitsumi nodded. "I sacrifice your two Level 4 Monsters in order to Ritual Summon the Level 8 Ritual Monster, Evigishki Soul Ogre in Defense Mode!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (2800/2800)

"However, the Monster Ritual Summoned by my previous Ritual Spell card has to have its Attack Points cut in half, and I cannot conduct my Battle Phase the turn I activate that Ritual Spell!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (1400/2800)

 _'Incredible! She turned the tides so quickly!'_ Yuto thought. _'I never even heard of Ritual Summoning, but like all of the other new Summoning methods I've learned ever since I entered the Standard Dimension, Ritual Summoning is just as dangerous! She has a powerful Monster now in terms of Defense! Actually, two Monsters in defense. Looks like she's being extra cautious of me, and for good reason.'_

 _'Ariel won't be enough to defend against his more stronger Monsters, which is why I settled for one of my stronger Monsters,'_ Mitsumi thought. _'Forbidden Arts of the Gishki does have quite the limits, but the only benefit from it is that I can sacrifice Monsters on my opponent's field.'_

"I end my turn!"

"My move!" Yuto said, drawing his card. "I Normal Summon The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak to the field!"

The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak - (DARK/Warrior) - LV3 - (800/1000)

"If I control a Phantom Knights Monster, I can Special Summon The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots from my hand!"

The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots - (DARK/Warrior) - LV3 - (200/1200)

"I Overlay my two Level 3 Monsters in order to build the Overlay Network! Soul of the Knights who fall on the battlefield! Now revive! Become the light that rend the darkness! XYZ Summon! Come forth! Rank 3! The Phantom Knights of Break Sword!"

The Phantom Knights of Break Sword - (DARK/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 3 - (2000/1000)

 _'Makes sense that he would have more than just 1 XYZ Monster in his Extra Deck. After all, I'm in the same state he is,'_ Mitsumi thought.

"I activate Break Sword's effect!" shouted Yuto. "Once per turn, I detach an Overlay Unit and target 1 card you control and 1 card I control! They're both destroyed! I destroy my other Set card and destroy your Ritual Monster!"

Mitsumi grimaced as she witnessed the destruction of her strongest defensive Monster and Yuto's Set card. On one hand, one of her Monsters were destroyed, whereas she still had one Monster on her side in Defense Mode. On the other hand, Yuto's mysterious Set card was also destroyed, though she isn't sure if that's a good thing or not.

"Break Sword, destroy her Monster!"

Break Sword galloped forward and slashed at Ariel, destroying her and the last of Mitsumi's defenses.

"I end my turn!"

"My turn!" Mitsumi said, drawing her card. "I Normal Summon Gishki Beast to the field!"

Gishki Beast - (WATER/Beast) - LV4 - (1500/1300)

"When he's Normal Summoned, I can target 1 Level 4 or lower Gishki Monster from my Graveyard and Special Summon that Monster in face-up Defense Mode! I Special Summon Gishki Ariel!"

Gishki Ariel - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1000/1800)

"I Overlay my two Level 4 Monsters in order to build the Overlay Network! XYZ Summon! Come forth, Rank 4! Evigishki Merrowgeist!"

Evigishki Merrowgeist - (WATER/Aqua/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2100/1600)

"So, it seems you, too, can XYZ Summon," said Yuto. "You're doing a far better job than that other duelist did."

"Sawatari-san? Oh, you don't have to lie to make me feel better, Yuto-san! I've still got a long ways to go!" assured Mitsumi, smiling.

 _'Again with that fake smile...But, I don't sense a hint of malice nor annoyance this time,'_ thought Yuto. _'She does seem genuinely happy, so she's probably just trying to keep up that nice façade...Just why, though?'_

"I attack with Merrowgeist!"

Merrowgeist locked weapons with Break Sword before ultimately ending up as the victor, slashing him in the back and defeating him triumphantly.

 **Yuto - 3600 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

"I activate Merrowgeist's effect!" declared Mitsumi. "After damage calculation, if Merrowgeist destroys your Monster in battle, I can detach an Overlay Unit from her, and then shuffle the destroyed Monster into the deck instead of sending it to the Graveyard!"

 _'Tch! That's pretty bad!'_ Yuto thought, sending Break Sword to his Extra Deck since he is an XYZ Monster. _'The Set card that was targeted and destroyed by Break Sword's effect was Phantom Knights' Sword, and I had been planning on banishing it to Special Summon back Break Sword, but if he's in the Extra Deck, I can't use it! That's a pretty good move, but I've got another trick up my sleeve!'_

"If Break Sword is destroyed, his special ability activates!" Yuto said. "I can target 2 Phantom Knights Monsters with the same Level in my Graveyard, and then Special Summon them and increase their Levels by 1! Ancient Cloak and Silent Boots returns to my field!"

The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (800/1000)

The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (200/1200)

 _'It's coming! That XYZ Monster is definitely coming! I need to prepare myself!'_ thought Mitsumi. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn!"

"My turn!" Yuto said, drawing his card. "I Overlay my two Level 4 Monsters in order to build the Overlay Network! From the pitch-black darkness, rise up against this foolish oppression! Fang of Rebellion! Descend now! XYZ Summon! Come forth! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon!"

Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon - (DARK/Dragon/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2500/2000)

"I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Twin Twisters! By discarding a card, I get to destroy up to two cards on the field! I destroy your two facedown cards, Nazuno-kun!"

Mitsumi mentally gritted her teeth as her two set cards, Aquamirror Illusion, and Mirror Force, were both destroyed, thus being unable to provide anymore support for her Monster.

"Battle!" declared Yuto. "Dark Rebellion XYZ Dragon, destroy her Monster!"

The XYZ Dragon released a roar before emitting electricity coursing throughout his body, crashing into Merrowgeist soon after and electrifying her with all of the electricity he stored up.

 **Yuto - 3600 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3600 LP**

"I set 2 cards and end my turn!"

Mitsumi drew her card, then felt tiredness nearly overwhelming her, making her stumble a bit before she caught herself on time by gripping onto a nearby bench. _'I must be really, really tired...Then again, all those duels earlier today must have been taking their toll on me...'_

Yuto wore a concerned look on his face for a brief moment before shaking his head, returning to his stern expression. He knew that Mitsumi must be tired, but even so, he couldn't afford to show any sort of mercy now. Besides, she's been doing good so far.

"I...I activate my Trap," started Mitsumi. "Aquamirror Meditation...I reveal 1 Ritual Spell card from my hand to target 2 Gishki Monsters in my Graveyard and return them to my hand-"

"I activate the effect of Phantom Death Spear in my Graveyard!" said Yuto."During either of our turns, when you activate a Trap card, I banish Phantom Death Spear, negate the activation, and if I do, destroy your Trap, and inflict 100 Points of Damage to you!"

Mitsumi was nearly knocked into unconsciousness when she got hit by the effect of Phantom Death Spear after it pierced through her Aquamirror Meditation Trap card and to her. Yet, she proved herself stubborn and strong by standing back up, slightly awaken from Yuto's recent move.

 **Yuto - 3600 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 3500 LP**

"I...I Special Summon Swap Frog from my hand by first discarding 1 other WATER Monster from my hand," said Mitsumi, clutching her forehead.

Swap Frog - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (1000/500)

"When he's summoned, I can send 1 Level 2 or lower Aqua-Type Monster from my deck or face-up from my field to the Graveyard...I send Gishki Abyss to the Graveyard. Now, I...I summon Gishki Vanity to the field..."

Gishki Vanity - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (1000/800)

"I Overlay my two Level 2 Monsters and-You know, what? You know the rest, I XYZ Summon Cat Shark in Defense Mode!"

Cat Shark - (WATER/Beast/XYZ) - Rank 2 - (500/500)

"And when Cat Shark has an XYZ Material that's originally WATER Attribute, he can't be destroyed in battle...hah...I set a card and equip Mage Power to Cat Shark...for each Spell/Trap card on my field, his Attack and Defense Points increase by 500 each...and I end my turn..."

Cat Shark - (WATER/Beast/XYZ) - Rank 2 - (1000/1000)

 _'...I know she's tired, but at this rate, should she fight Academia at this rate, she'll lose for certain. The least I can do is end this duel quickly,'_ Yuto thought, drawing his card. "I activate my two facedown cards, Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace! I target 1 Monster you control, and it loses 600 Attack Points! Then, I get to Special Summon them in Attack Mode!"

Phantom Knights Lost Vambrace - (DARK/Warrior) - LV2 - (600/0) X2

Cat Shark - (WATER/Beast/XYZ) - Rank 2 - (0/500)

"I Overlay my two Level 2 Lost Vambraces to build the Overlay Network! Carry on the ten thousand warriors! Cursed spear buried in the darkness! Descend now! XYZ Summon! Appear! Rank 2! Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin!"

The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin - (DARK/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 2 - (1600/0)

Even in her tired state, Mitsumi glanced up and rubbed her eyes, recognizing the card she borrowed. "Oh...the card I took..."

Yuto nodded. "Now, I'll use it against you! But first, I activate the Spell, Block Defense! Your Cat Shark is forced into Attack Mode! And now I activate Cursed Javelin's effect! Once per turn, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I get to not only turn your Monster's Attack Points into 0, but more importantly, his effects are negated I will finish this! Dark Rebellion! Destroy Cat Shark!"

The shriveled and weakened Cat Shark didn't stand a chance against Yuto's ace Monster as he not only took damage, but was instantly destroyed with his non-destructive effect negated because of Cursed Javelin.

 **Yuto - 3600 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 1000 LP**

"Cursed Javelin! Attack her directly! End this duel!"

 _'Ah...even though I kinda borrowed that Monster, I still didn't really earn the right to use it. I guess, in a sense, this is poetic justice...?'_ Mitsumi thought as she was pierced with Cursed Javelin's attack, destroying the last of her Life Points.

 **Yuto - 3600 LP**

 **Mitsumi - 0 LP**

 **Winner: Yuto**

Mitsumi crashed to the ground on her back. Other than the pain on her back after crashing, she only suffered minor injuries from the duel, only thanks to Yuto withholding a lot of his power during the duel, but showing no mercy in unleashing his offensive tactics towards her. The last thing she saw before blacking out was the sight of some boots running towards her.

* * *

Mitsumi groaned and hissed in pain as she started regaining consciousness. She found herself staring upwards; the first sight being Yuto's concerned look as her head was lying on his lap in the middle of the park where they dueled.

"Yuto…? Did...Did I fall asleep or something?"

Yuto nodded. "In a sense, yes. Don't worry, you were out for only a few minutes, but I suspect that you must still be sleepy, right?"

Mitsumi sat up and nodded her head, rubbing at her eyes to stay awake. "Yes...but I think I can stay awake long enough to get back home."

"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused, but I'd like to escort you back home, just in case you don't collapse in the middle of the streets."

"Like you did?"

Yuto chuckled. "Yeah, I suppose so." He got on one knee and offered his hand to her like a gentleman. "Here, take my hand."

"..." Mitsumi took his hand, allowing Yuto to stand up and take Mitsumi with her. As they started heading out, Mitsumi blurted out, "I have a boyfriend."

"What?" Yuto turned to her, not expecting those words to come out of her mouth.

"That's the main reason why you dueled me, right? You wanted to test your superior strength over me, and once you beat me, you would declare your undying love to me and promise to protect me from any danger. Is that about it?"

Yuto's eyes widened and he shook his head. "N-No! Where did you get THAT idea?! Besides, I already like someone else!"

Mitsumi blinked and turned her head away. "Oh...Uh...never mind."

"Why would you think of a random reason like that?"

Mitsumi sighed. "You have no idea how frequent that happens to me..."

"...I see you don't want to talk about it."

"I really don't."

"...Well, I dueled you," said Yuto.

Mitsumi nodded. "Yes, you did. Thank you for the duel. It taught me a lot and what I need to improve."

'You don't need to thank me. I know you didn't really want the duel and that you're really mad at me right now for wasting your time," said Yuto. "I'm sorry, but I...I just had to gauge your strength. The strength you have...it's better than that duelist I dueled back in the warehouse, but you'd lose against them."

"Them?" Mitsumi asked, confused.

"Ah...Just some...champion-like duelists that I have...a feud with. Nothing that concerns you. But, Nazuno-kun, I know that during the duel...you were holding back. I mean, you were holding back A LOT. You weren't using your full strength, were you? At most, half your strength."

"I really have no idea what you're talking about," assured Mitsumi, smiling. _'What does he know? Okay, I wasn't concentrated a lot because of how tired I was, but there was a number of moves I could have played as well, but I really wanted the duel to end. What is he, some sort of dueling observer?'_

Yuto glared at her. "Don't play coy. I've been good at reading people if I observe them carefully, and right now, I can tell that that smile is nothing more than fake."

"What? No, I wouldn't dare fake a smile towards anyone!" lied Mitsumi. _'Okay, this guy is really annoying and kinda scaring me a bit!'_

Yuto continued. "I can tell that your moves during our duel were careful and thought-out, until near the end of our duel. You made several mistakes that led to me gaining several advantages and ultimately winning our duel. Your strength...it's nearly sharpened like a bullet, it's nearly there, but you're holding back your power, for what? If you want to improve as a duelist, you have to put your whole heart in."

"I...I get what you're trying to say, but I have been trying my best. Tonight just wasn't my night because I was so tired!"

"And Academia won't hesitate to card you or your loved ones if you keep up that ignorant attitude!" snapped Yuto.

"...What?" Mitsumi asked, confused. "Card? Academia? What are you talking about?"

"...Nothing. But, I do have to wonder."

"Wonder about what?"

"Wonder how you manage to trick your friends and family with your fake kindness."

 _'...What?'_ was the only word in Mitsumi's thoughts as she grew silent as they walked side-by-side down the streets.

Yuto didn't want to do this, but he knew it had to be said, because he thought that by revealing the harsh truth from what he observed, it would help her. "Your fake smile, your fake words, I wonder how many times you had to utter them to your loved ones? How you could sleep good at night, knowing you had to trick them with this façade of yours? Earlier, I was treated to a sweet scene of you taking care of your grandmother, but I have to wonder, if your love for her was also fake-"

Suddenly, Yuto felt a sudden rush of murderous intent before the front of his collar was yanked right in front of him, forcing him to lock eyes with a pair of angry, glaring eyes belonging to Mitsumi as she bore a snarling expression. The moment Yuto had uttered those words, Mitsumi's tranquil and sweet, clueless expression reverted to that of a beast. An irritated, pissed-off beast with a demonic aura that was aimed straight for Yuto and nearly had him regret his words the moment they left his words. While Yuto was aware of the anger behind those eyes, he also noticed something much more bigger than anger.

Exhaustion and fear.

Yuto didn't know where the fear emotion came from, but he had a good sense that she was so...so tired. But, it wasn't the sort of physical tired she was experiencing as she was still slightly sleepy, but more of a mental exhaustion, like she's sick and tired and hiding some big, deep secret within herself. Whatever it was, it had been weighing down on Mitsumi far longer than when Yuto was still dealing with Academia.

Finally, Mitsumi released Yuto and quickly reverted back to her kind expression, having spotted her home nearby. "Oh, I'm sorry for handling you roughly! Looks like my home's nearby! Thank you for escorting me home, Yuto-san!"

As Mitsumi hurried to leave, Yuto stopped her by calling out, "Wait! Nazuno-san...a storm may be coming to this city. I hope it doesn't come to that, but...if that's the case, then be prepared to be strong."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but of course! I always do my best everyday!" assured Mitsumi, smiling at him.

 _'Again with that fake smile...Where did the pain behind that smile come from?'_ thought Yuto. "...For all it's worth, thank you for taking care of me for a while and I'm sorry that I upset you earlier."

"It's nothing, Yuto-san. Are you sure you can get back home safely by yourself?"

"Yes. Just take care of yourself and your grandmother, alright?"

"Alright, goodnight, Yuto-san!"

After watching Yuto leave, Mitsumi entered inside her house and slid down the door behind her, seething in anger. _'How...dare...that...pompous...ass?!'_ thought Mitsumi, resisting the urge to growl in fear of waking up her grandmother. _'Who does he think he is, judging me like that?! And, telling me that my love for Grandma is FAKE?! Ugh! I wanted to rip his mouth out! Well, it's not like I'm gonna see him again, but...damnit...I'm too tired for this...'_

She headed upstairs and went to her room, preparing to get a good night's rest. Deep down, though, she knew that most of the things Yuto said was right, and it was scary how observant and accurate his words were. She was so, very tired of having to put up the façade that is the gentle and shy Mitsumi Nazuno that her friends-well, most of her friends knew her as, but she knew deep down it was the only way to stay friends with her current friends. If they knew the true her, things would end up badly, and she feared being all alone because of her friends finding out her true personality and abandoning her for it.

Even if it hurts, and even if it's overwhelmingly exhausting each day, she knew she had to keep up that façade. Her friends were all kind and good individuals, so it wouldn't be fair to them if they had some coldhearted, selfish, and unbearable girl as their friend. And, she feared that if they knew she used to be a Junior Pro Duelist, then they might use her. She's already seen too many times what happens when someone's being used until they're discarded away like an object. It happened to frequently upon witnessing overs in Pro Duelist leagues and tournaments she's been forced to attend when she was a kid.

 _'It's alright,'_ she thought, curled up in her bed as she tried to get some sleep. _'I just have to attend this tournament until I lose, and that'll be the end of that. Whew, I hope tomorrow will be a bit better than today.'_

* * *

 **Hey, guys! So, I did try to think up of reasons for Yuto to duel her, and this was the best I could do. Sorry if he's a bit OOC, I did try my best with him! I imagine that as a gentleman, he might be kind to the elderly, though. Anyways, read and review!**


	18. Tag-Team Trust

**Glad you all like and understand from both Yuto and Mitsumi's perspective! And, I know that you're pretty much throwing dirt at Mitsumi because of her attitude and her fears, but trust me when I say that she does eventually get better and improve, but now's not that time. It'll be like, many chapters after. I do have plans for her, and her attitude will be explained a lot more than simply being bitter about her past.**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"Fear not, Mitsumi-chan!~ I, your charming white knight in shining armor, am here to help you!"

 _'...Fuck me,'_ Mitsumi thought, already suffering a migraine the moment she laid eyes upon Shingo and his stupid introduction. She was escorted by Nico to head towards the location of her fifth duel, the Unison Raid Duel School, where, upon getting to the entrance, the two of them encountered Shingo and his three friends.

"Mitsumi-chan, you should be happy!" Shingo said, walking up to her and clasping his hands onto hers, holding them close to his chest. "We get to participate in an official duel together! As Tag Team partners!"

Behind him, Shingo's three friends cheered on their ringleader. "Yeah, you go, Sawatari!"

"It'll be another step towards your love life with Mitsumi-chan!"

"You've got this!"

 _'...What?'_ Mitsumi thought, suppressing to urge to throttle Shingo and demand answers aggressively. Instead, she settled the best she could do at the moment...crushing Shingo's fingers slowly and yet, _painfully._

Shingo quickly caught on to the slow, painful pressure on his fingers. "Oh, that's quite a tight grip you've got there, Mitsumi-chan!~ I didn't realize that you enjoyed my proposal so mu-OW! OKAY, OKAY, YOU'RE TOO STRONG! LEMME GO! LEMME GO!"

Mitsumi quickly released her "frail hands" from Shingo, stepping back to wear a sorrowful, guilty expression on her face. "O-Oh, I'm so sorry, Sawatari-san...I didn't mean to squeeze you so hard...I guess I was so excited. Please forgive me..." She turned away, looking more pitiful while internally, the devil inside her was snickering maliciously, not regretting one bit of what she did.

Already falling for her meek, sadden self, Shingo panicked and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. "What? No, no, no! You didn't do anything wrong! In fact, I like girls who are strong! You're definitely a strong and kind girl, Mitsumi-chan!~"

"R-Really...?"

"Yes, of course!"

In the background, Shingo's three friends were softly weeping and sniffling at the "romantic" scene before them, as Nico just stood by, sweatdropping. If he didn't already know Mitsumi's true nature, then he would have been in the same state as Shingo's three friends.

"S-Sawatari-san...you're getting a bit too close there..." Mitsumi said, edging back a bit as she saw Shingo leaning in towards her with his lips puckered up. _'I swear to God, Shingo! I SWEAR TO GOD! I will bash your face against the ground!'_

"Hmm? Oh, I just wanted our first ever kiss to be that of good luck before we go together as a Tag Team for our official duel," spoke Shingo smoothly, now leaning in much more closely.

 _'You know what? Screw this,'_ thought Mitsumi before smashing her foot against his as deep as she could, even adding more pain by twisting her foot in.

Shingo's eyes popped wide and he practically shot up 3 meters in the air before crashing back to the ground, hopping on one leg. "Ow, ow, OW! My foot!"

Mitsumi immediately retreated to her shy and kind façade as she hurriedly tended to Shingo's side. "Oh, no! Sawatari-san! Are you okay?!" She turned to Shingo's friends and told them, "Hurry! Take him inside and ask for medical aid! They should have an infirmary there!"

"R-Right!" The three of them scooped up Shingo's body as he was howling in pain, quickly taking him inside, leaving both Mitsumi and Nico alone by themselves.

Nico straightened his collar. "Whew! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd made a terrific actress!"

Mitsumi merely glared at him, crossing her arms. "What. Is. Going. On?"

Nico knew better than to play dumb, and he knew what Mitsumi was referring to, so he began explaining himself. "Right...I owe you an explanation for this...unforseen circumstance, do I?"

"You're damn right you do! What's going on?! Why am I suddenly Tag Team partners with that pompous prick?! Ugh! I don't wanna do this! Just...why?!"

"I can understand that you're quite frustrated," started Nico. "Well, your next duel was scheduled to be inside this Duel School, no doubt. That hasn't changed. However, this Duel School is well-known for hosting Tag Team duels, and sometimes, they like to add in a theme for entertainment. Your partner wasn't supposed to be Shingo Sawatari. It was supposed to be someone else who took the must-win-six-duels condition, but unfortunately, he failed because he lost his last duel."

"Okay, then how did Shingo get involved into all this?!" wondered Mitsumi, rubbing her forehead.

"Well, he took the same challenge as you and young Yuya Sakaki, So far, he's won three duels, and this is going to be his fourth, whereas this is going to be your fifth official duel! Just two more, and you'll be free to enter the next stage of the tournament!"

"I'm less concerned about that dumb tournament and more of how exactly he became my partner? I would have happily accepted dueling two duelists at the same time rather than having him be my duel partner!"

"Well, the Duel School wouldn't accept you dueling alone and required you to have at least one partner. I was going to ask Yuya-kun, but right now, he has his duel with some girl named Mieru, so when I asked Sawatari-kun, he immediately agreed. That, and he paid me, so-"

Mitsumi's eyes narrowed coldly at him. "Oh? So that's the main reason, huh? In the end, you just accepted his demands because he paid you? Tch...you're just the same like those corrupted filth who took bribes back when I was still...Never mind."

Nico got curious as to what she was going to say. "What? What?"

"It's nothing...So, can you at least tell me who my opponents are?"

"Right, well, even though this is a Tag Duel, this is still going to count as one official duel, not two. You two opponents are twins. The older sister is Tatsuki Nimira, while the younger twin is her brother, Tatsumi Nimira. They're the undefeated and top Tag Team in the Unison Raid Duel School. As always, I can't tell you about their decks, but I can tell you that they are an excellent team, similar to that of the Paradox Brothers!"

"That other famous Tag Team duo? Yeah, I don't get why they like rhyming a lot," said Mitsumi, sighing. "Alright, let's go in."

"Wait," stopped Nico. "I mentioned before that this Duel School usually consists of a theme."

"Yeah, and? You mentioned that it had something to do with entertainment. Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Well...I just thought I'd give you a heads-up. Depending on the theme, they're going to make you and Sawatari-kun do something. Nothing harmful, but it's something to add to the theme of the duel before the Tag Team duel begins."

Mitsumi tilted her head. "Okay...?"

"Y-you'll see, now let's head inside!"

At the dueling field, Mitsumi and Shingo were standing side-by-side right next to each other, facing against identical twins who happened to be their opponents, Tatsuki and Tatsumi Nimira.

Mitsumi glanced at Shingo and saw he was slightly limping on his foot that she "accidentally" stepped on. "Sawatari-san, are you alright?" asked Mitsumi, immediately expressing her concerned look at him.

Shingo smiled and nodded. "Of course! This foot wound is nothin-Ow, ow, ow! Uh...Like I said, it's nothing!"

"If you and your girlfriend are done chatting, we'd like to get this duel started," spoke the older twin sister named Tatsuki.

 _'He's not my boyfriend!'_ Mitsumi wanted to snap. Instead, she stayed her tongue and reverted back to her polite persona. "Uh...I apologize, but Sawatari-san isn't my boyfriend."

"Yet." Shingo just had to add it in.

 _'Not helping, idiot!'_ Mitsumi wanted to say to him. "S-So, it's nice to meet you, Nimira-kun, Nimira-san! My name is Mitsumi Nazuno, and this is my-"

"Greatest and most handsomest boyfriend, Shingo Sawatari!~" bragged Shingo proudly.

Mitsumi mentally groaned. _'I so wanna kill him right now.'_

"It's nice to meet the both of you," said the younger twin, Tatsumi. "We're so glad to have two new challengers in a new, official duel! But, before we get started, there's one more thing we need to do."

Tatsuki snapped her fingers, and descending from above, a wheel of fortune sprung down to the same grounds as them, being held up by ropes from the backstage crew. The wheel of fortune had various options to choose from.

"Alright, so before we begin, we're going to spin the wheel," explained Tatsuki, placing her hand on the wheel. "Whichever it lands on, we're picking that theme, which will affect not only us, but the Action Field as well."

"Uh...What do you mean, 'us?'" asked Mitsumi.

"Oh, we're all going to be dressing up for the part."

The audience cheered upon hearing such an interesting revelation and grew excited over what's to come. Shingo himself, was especially excited, because Mitsumi is his Tag Team partner, and if they got a romantic theme, then they could be more than just partners. No, they could even be like a power couple!

Mitsumi, on the other hand, wasn't too thrilled about this. Yes, she has knowledge about Entertainment Duels, considering she attends You Show Duel School, and she has cosplayed before in different roles, like a princess, but...considering her partner is Shingo...she really, really, REALLY wasn't too happy about cosplaying with him. Tag Dueling with him was one thing, but doing so in a theme that required them to change into costumes that fits the theme? She can only hope that the theme wasn't anything romantic and would indicate something of the sort.

"Here we go!"

Tatsuki spun the wheel of fortune as fast and hard as she could, letting go as everyone watch the wheel of fortune spin rapidly until it started to slow down. At long last, the wheel of fortune made a decision, and with its arrow, pointed towards...

* * *

 _'Of. Freakin'. Course. My. Luck. Is. SO. Good. To. Day.'_ Mitsumi thought, resonating each word thought by slamming her head against the wall as she, Shingo, and their twin opponents were in the dressing room of the Duel School. There was a wide variety of costumes to choose from in the large dressing room, as well as private spots where one could change behind curtains.

The theme that the wheel of fortune chose? Knight and Ruler.

It was pretty clear for Mitsumi's team of whole role was whose. And now, Shingo was trying to pick out the most beautiful dress for his "lovely princess" to wear, all while Mitsumi was busy banging her head against the wall for her misfortune. Mitsumi wanted to try and screw Shingo over by trying to find the worst possible knight outfit she could find, but even the most basic knight costume was pretty impressive. This wasn't just a Duel School for Tag Teams, but also on entertainment, so naturally, they would have top-notch costumes.

Besides the fact that Mitsumi didn't want to be some damsel in distress or some princess because of Shingo, she knew that she shouldn't dare wear a princess costume for another reason. Dresses tend to get stuck in something and in the way. The length of the dresses would hinder movement while leaping and running around, affecting her dueling greatly. Therefore, she needed to find a way to talk Shingo out of making her become the princess and for them to somehow switch roles.

And she had an idea.

"Sawatari-san?" Mitsumi walked up to him as Shingo was still scrambling around, trying to find the perfect dress for her.

"Hmm? Yes, my lovely little princess? Don't worry; your knight in shining armor shall find the perfect dress for-"

"Actually, I have a better idea," interrupted Mitsumi. "I was thinking...we should switch roles."

Shingo blinked at her, and then laughed. "Oh, Mitsumi-chan! You're so funny! I can't play the princess role, because I'm a boy!"

"Oh, nothing like that. The theme did say Knight and Ruler. It didn't specify that the ruler had to be a princess. So, why don't I be the knight, and you be my..." She internally shuddered as she leaned in closer and stroked her nimble fingers under his chin, focusing his attention on her as she whispered lowly, " _Prince?"_

 _'It's almost scary at how good I am at this,'_ Mitsumi thought, stepping back to give the lovestruck Shingo some space. _'Either I'm just that good...or Shingo's really that dumb. Eh, probably the latter.'_

"Prince, hmm?" muttered Shingo, allowing his imagination to cloud his thoughts for the moment. "Yes...that does sound pretty enticing...And as much as I want to do that, I can't. After all, who would be your knight in shining armor, if you become my knight? Mmm...my knight...That does sound pretty sweet..."

 _'Ugh...'_ Mitsumi thought, a disgusted and annoyed look on her face before she quickly replaced that with a false smile. "Sawatari-san, you said you like strong girls, don't you? If I become your knight in shining armor, wouldn't that make me strong?"

"Well...I guess..."

"Besides, your foot is hurt! How can I, your humble princess, order my own knight in shining armor to head into action when he's so injured? As repayment for injuring you, I shall become your beautiful and strong knight in shining armor! ...At least, until this duel is over."

Shingo brightened up. "You know what? You make very good points! Yeah! Alright, then! You shall become my humble knight, and I, your prince, shall reward you with a kiss, should we win this duel together!"

Mitsumi mentally made very quick plans of escape the second the duel was over.

"Now, let's get to seeing your knight costume! There has to be some female knight costumes around here somewhere...Aha!" Shingo pulled out a rather revealing bikini knight costume from the female knight section. "How about this?"

 _'LIKE HELL!'_ Mitsumi wanted to scream; her entire face turning red from both anger and embarrassment. One thing she did keep true within both her fake, shy personality and her true, rough personality, was the fact that she HATED revealing clothes. V-lined shirts, see-through clothes, short mini-skirts, clothes that don't completely cover the chest and ass areas? She hated them all because they were too revealing, too inappropriate, too vulnerable, and too seductive.

Suddenly, Tatsuki came over and snatched the costume from Shingo's hands. "Oops! Sorry, this wasn't supposed to be here. Such inappropriate clothing is intolerable here at this school. Ugh, I'll have to file a report to the principal about this later."

Mitsumi silently thanked Tatsuki for the save and held Shingo's hand, much to his joy and much to her disdain as she only did this to appease him, assisting him in finding some pretty good costumes for the two of them.

* * *

 _Later..._

 **"Everyone, thank you for your patience!"** announced Nico, who was standing in the announcer's podium and holding onto his microphone. **"Now, today, we're going to be featuring a very special Official Duel! That's right! It'll be a Tag Team official duel! Whichever team wins earns another step to completing one of the winning conditions required to enter the Arc League Championship! Now, from my left are this Duel School's famous Tag Team duo, the twins, Tatsuki and Tatsumi Nimira!"**

Stepping out, Tatsuki and Tatsumi appeared in their new costumes as prior to the Knight and Ruler theme. Tatsumi had light, white mage-like robes on with golden bracelets and other small golden accessories including a golden crown. Tatsuki, on the other hand, had dark-colored armor on, hiding her face behind a dark helmet and appearing quite menacing. It was quite clear who was playing which role.

 **"And from my right, we have...Oh...Uh...Another Tag Team duo, Shingo Sawatari and Mitsumi Nazuno!"**

The reason why Nico seemed to be so hesitant was because of...Shingo's outfit. He got carried away and combined an assortment of different kingly clothes into one, making him stand out a lot and hinder his movements greatly, especially with the long cape and the large, golden crown on his head. Right besides him was his "knight," Mitsumi, who donned a basic, light-weighted blue knightly armor with no helmet or cape, facepalming. The audience could agree that in terms of fashion, she faired better than Shingo.

 _'I don't know this idiot, I don't know this idiot, I don't know this idiot,'_ Mitsumi repeatedly thought in her mind as she was still flabbergasted at Shingo's fashion sense. He had been so eager to show himself off and was so enticed by the many outfits back in the dressing room that he went overboard.

 **"Ahem! I guess both teams are ready! Action Field, on! Conqueror's Castle, deploy!"**

The dueling field transformed from a widespread normal dueling field to a large battlefield within the top of large castle walls with lots of stone-like bridges, flags, battalion-like areas, and so forth. From the audience's point of view, it almost seemed like the two teams were like two separate armies, trying to capture the one huge castle they were standing on.

 **"Let's get started! Duelists locked in battle!"**

"Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters!" spoke Tatsuki excitedly.

"They storm through this field!" Tatsumi said.

"Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling!" exclaimed Shingo, raising his arms in the air. "ACTIOOOOONNNN-!"

"DUEL!"

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 8000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 8000 LP**

"Ha! This'll be no problem at all!" Tatsuki said, fully confident in herself. "I'll start things off! First, I Normal Summon Noble Knight Artorigus!"

Noble Knight Artorigus - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1800/1800)

"I now activate Noble Knight Gawain's effect from my hand! If I control a LIGHT Normal Monster, I get to Special Summon him to the field!"

Noble Knight Gawain - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1900/500)

 _'Crap, crap, crap!'_ thought Mitsumi, turning around to make a run for it only to be halted when Shingo grabbed her arm.

"Wait, where are you going?" asked Shingo.

"Well, uh...we need to go get some Action Cards, don't we?" Mitsumi said politely.

"Ahem!"

"Eh?"

"We have to go along with the theme, remember? We're roleplaying! I'm the Crown Prince, and you're my guardian knight, sworn to protect and stay by my side at all times!"

 _'You can't be serious,'_ Mitsumi mentally groaned as a sweet, yet bitter smile formed on her face before she forced herself to get into her role. She got on one knee and bowed her head. "As you command, my Prince."

Shingo smirked. "Mmm...I like the sound of that already..."

 _'I really wanna throw this guy off the walls!'_ Mitsumi thought, twitching slightly.

"Hey!" shouted Tatsuki impatiently. "If you're done with your stupid romantic act, I'd like to continue my turn and for you guys to pay attention!"

Shingo got mad and turned to her. "Well, excuse me! I was just having a romantic conversation with my dearly guardian knight, so-"

"U-Um...Sawatari-san, why don't we listen to her for the time being? As in, let her do her turn?" suggested Mitsumi, getting all shy for him. "After all, you can show off your skills when it's your turn and leave her gobsmacked."

Shingo smiled widely. "That's an excellent idea! Alright, pathetic knight! Continue your turn!"

"...I'm gonna enjoy knocking that crown off your head," said Tatsuki, grinning evilly behind her helmet. "Alright, I activate three Equip Spells onto my Noble Knight Artorgius! Noble Arms - Clarent! Noble Arms - Caliburn! And, Noble Arms - Gallatine!'

 _'While I do understand strengthening her Monster, isn't this a bit too much? I thought she was going to XYZ Summon,'_ thought Mitsumi, standing back up and rubbing her chin suspiciously.

"Alright, time to shine! I Overlay my two Level 4 Monsters in order to build the Overlay Network! XYZ Summon! Come forth! Rank 4! Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights!"

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights - (LIGHT/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2000/2000)

Shingo clenched his fist. "XYZ Summon...! Just like that Yuya-lookalike did to me...!"

 _'Yuto and Yuya don't even look alike!'_ Mitsumi wanted to protest before realizing something. _'Hold on...last night was the perfect opportunity to ask him questions, like why he even came to mine and Yuzu's rescue? And what the heck is Academia? God, I'm such an idiot!'_

"Artorigus' effect activates!" continued Tatsuki. "When he's XYZ Summoned, I can target up to 3 Noble Arms Equip Spell cards with different names in my Graveyard, and then equip those cards onto him! I equip Noble Arms - Clarent, Caliburn, and Gallatine to him!"

 _'So that's why she activated those cards before XYZ Summoning!'_ Mitsumi thought. _'Damnit! Equip Spells don't just increase Attack Points, but they have devastating effects as well!'_

"I'll explain the first Equip Spell, Noble Arms - Clarent!" declared Tatsuki. "First, the equipped Monster gains 200 extra Attack Points!"

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights - (LIGHT/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2200/2000)

"Secondly, each player can only Special Summon once per turn!"

"What?! Sis, what about me?! I have to Special Summon lots of Monsters, too!" whined Tatsumi.

"Oh, don't worry about it! I doubt you'll have to do too much, because with the way our opponents have been acting, we'll be guaranteed another easy win," assured Tatsuki, patting her twin brother on the head.

"O-Okay...I guess."

Mitsumi took note of this short, but somewhat important conversation. They claimed to be a tight-strong Tag Team, and she didn't deny that it might be true, despite the duel only just starting. However, Tatsuki's action in disregarding her partner's wishes may prove to be an advantage for both her and Shingo.

"Hey, hey, hey! What about those two other Equip Spells?! What about them?!" shouted Shingo.

Tatsuki turned to them. "Oh, right. Noble Arms - Caliburn! This cards allows Artorigus to gain 500 extra Attack Points!"

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights - (LIGHT/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2700/2000)

"Now, once per turn, I gain 500 extra Life Points!"

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 8500 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 8000 LP**

"And now, Noble Arms - Gallatine! Artorigus gains 1000 extra Attack Points!"

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights - (LIGHT/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (3700/2000)

"But, during each of my Standby Phases, he loses 200 Attack Points, which isn't that big of a deal for me. I end my turn!"

"Then, it's my turn!" said Tatsumi, the younger twin brother of the duo. "From my hand, I Normal Summon Kirion, Lightsworn Lancer!"

Kirion, Lightsworn Lancer - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1700/1000)

"His special ability activates! When he's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Lightsworn Monster from my hand! I Special Summon Jenis, Lightsworn Mender, in Defense Mode!"

Jenis, Lightsworn Mender - (LIGHT/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (300/2100)

"Ha! You can't even XYZ Summon like your sister because of her stupid Equip Spell's effect!" taunted Shingo.

Mitsumi placed a hand on Shingo's arm. "Sawatari-san, I don't think it's a good idea to provoke them. Besides, a good prince should be kind to others, don't you think?"

"Ah...you're totally right, Mitsumi-chan!~"

Mitsumi turned to the other Tag Team duo and bowed her head. "I apologize for my partner's actions."

"Ah, it's alright. What he spoke was true, after all," assured Tatsumi kindly.

Tatsuki, however, was not quite as forgiving. "I'm gonna beat you so badly for insulting my baby brother."

 _'You know, in other circumstances, I would really have loved to be friends with her,'_ thought Mitsumi. _'We at least have one thing in common; our mutual hatred towards Shingo.'_

"I set a card," said Tatsumi. "And end my turn! At this moment, Kirion's effect activates! Once per turn, during my End Phase, I must send the top two cards from my deck into the Graveyard! And now, Jenis' effect activates! During the End Phase, if a card was sent from my deck to the Graveyard, by the effect of Lightsworn Monster this turn, I get to inflict 500 Points of Damage to my opponent, all while gaining 500 Life Points!"

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 9000 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 7500 LP**

"Damn...looks like they've got some pretty big advantages on us," commented Shingo.

"That's not all," said Tatsumi. "One of the cards I sent to the Graveyard is Lightsworn Judgement, and that Trap card's effect allows me to add 1 Judgement Dragon from my deck to my hand only if this Trap was sent from the deck to the Graveyard by a Lightsworn Monster's effect."

 _'Judgement Dragon...I've never really seen that Monster, but if such an effect allowed him to add that to his hand, then it must be an incredibly powerful Monster,'_ Mitsumi thought.

"Mitsumi-chan, it's your turn!" said Shingo. "Don't worry! I know you're weak and that I'm like, ten times stronger than you-"

 _'Eat a dick, asshole!'_ Mitsumi thought, wanting to yell that to him. She was already ticked off that he forced his way to become her Tag Team partner, something that he didn't ask permission for, nor would she even give him permission in the first place, but now, he had the galls to say something like that in front of their opponents-no, the entire audience? The only reason she pretended to be so "weak" was to keep up her appearance as a meek, shy girl, not to stroke his ego!

"-But, I truly believe you can do this! You're my knight, and as such, I know you will bring glory and victory to me, your beloved Crown Prince!"

Mitsumi turned to him, pretending to look touched by his words. "Sawatari-san..."

"Plus, it would be pretty humiliating if we lost because of you, so don't be such a disappointing knight that failed to serve her prince and try your absolute hardest to win!"

 _'I swear to God, Shingo, I will THROW you off the castle walls!'_ Mitsumi thought, nodding and smiling at him while clenching her fists.

"I ended my turn, so I guess one of you will have to go next," called out Tatsumi. "Oh, and remember, we all have to take our first turns, so prior to the Tag Team dueling rules, nobody can attack on their first turn!"

"Got it!" called back Mitsumi, drawing her card. "Alright, I activate the Spell, Giant Trunade! This forces all Spell and Trap cards on the field to return to the hand!"

"What?!" Both twins exclaimed as gusts of wind blew over the playing fields, forcing their set cards and the Equip Spell cards to return back to their hands.

"Aha! Nice move, Mitsumi-chan!" praised Shingo. "Now, those annoying Equip Spells that knight girl had on her Monster won't be getting in the way!"

"So what?!" called out Tatsuki. "When my turn comes again, I'll just equip them back onto my XYZ Monster! You just wasted a good card!"

"Not necessarily," said Mitsumi. "I think I remember...one of the cards preventing us from Special Summoning more than once?"

Shingo knew what she was referring to. "Hey, yeah! One of your Equip Spells made it so we can only Special Summon once per turn!"

"And I'll happily equip that Spell back onto my knight, once I-"

"And before that, it's fair game for both me and Mitsumi-chan! Now, we can Special Summon however many Monsters we want!"

"..."

"Ha! Yeah, that's right!" Shingo spoke, smirking. "We can Special Summon more than like, three Monsters in one turn! And there's repercussions!"

Mitsumi raised her hand, catching her partner's attention. "Um...isn't there one more thing? Now that the Equip Spells aren't on the field anymore, doesn't that mean that Tatsuki-chan's XYZ Monster won't be getting any stronger?"

Tatsuki's eyes widened in realization. "Oh, no!"

Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights - (LIGHT/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2000/2000)

"Ha! Your XYZ Monster just got a lot weaker!" taunted Shingo.

 _'Shingo, taunting the enemy has got to be a really bad habit for you,'_ Mitsumi thought, sweatdropping.

"Ahem!" said Tatsumi. "We've still got a duel to continue. Nazuno-san, will you continue?"

Mitsumi nodded. "A-Ah, yes! I'll continue! Um...Okay! I activate the Ritual Spell, Forbidden Arts of the Gishki! Using Monsters on the field, I can Ritual Summon a Monster whose total Levels equal the Level of the Monster I'm Ritual Summoning!"

"But, you have no Monsters on your field," pointed out Tatsuki.

Shingo glanced over to Mitsumi. "Mitsumi-chan, I know you're pretty dense and not that strong, but even I thought you'd at least have some sense."

 _'Oh my God, I'm not even finished explaining, and everyone already thinks I'm stupid,'_ Mitsumi thought, annoyed. "Well, everyone, this Spell lets me Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster using Monsters on the field-"

"Yeah, and you don't even have any Monsters on the field."

"That ALSO includes Monsters on my opponent's field."

Tatsuki smirked. "Ha! Sucks for you, because XYZ Monsters don't have Levels! They have Ranks!"

Mitsumi quickly stated, "I Ritual Summon the Level 8 Soul Ogre in Defense Mode using the two Level 4 Lightsworn Monsters on Tatsumi-kun's field."

"Wait, what?!"

In a blink of an eye, both of Tatsumi's Lightsworn Monsters converted into orbs of light that fell into the ritualistic magic circle surrounded by candles as sacrifices meant to Ritual Summon Soul Ogre.

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (2800/2800)

"Oh! I see!" gasped Shingo. "Wow, I never knew that your Ritual Spell could be used that way! I knew that you've gotten a lot stronger under my guidance! Good job!"

 _'You didn't even do anything, you idiot,'_ Mitsumi thought. _'And didn't you say that I was dense and not that strong? Ugh...'_

"My field's empty!" said Tatsumi. "Well, luckily, it's the first turn, and nobody can inflict a Direct Attack so long as their partner still has Monsters on the field."

"Even so, remain cautious," warned Tatsuki. "We still don't know how much danger we're in, and we still haven't seen that other guy's deck. Stay sharp."

"Right, okay, big sis!"

"There's more!" Mitsumi said. "Forbidden Arts of the Gishki makes it so I can't conduct my Battle Phase this turn, and my Ritual Summoned Monster loses half his Attack Points!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (1400/2800)

"Why'd do that?" Shingo said. "Now you can't ever attack with that weak-ass Monster!"

"But...His Defense Points are a lot higher. I'm just going to keep him in Defense Mode," Mitsumi pointed out. _'Thank God this effect doesn't apply to Defense Points as well.'_

Shingo grinned. "Oh, I see! That's why you put it in Defense Mode! Ha! Guess me constantly reminding you to put your weak Monsters to good use is finally paying off!"

 _'...I wanna push you off,'_ Mitsumi mentally commented before glancing down at her hand. _'Damn, I don't have any other Gishki Monsters in my hand, so I can't activate Soul Ogre's effect to get rid of Tatsuki's XYZ Monster. For now, all I can do is play a solid defense.'_ "I set a card and end my turn!"

"Alright, it's time for the Neo New Sawatari to shine!" exclaimed Shingo, drawing his cards as three very familiar voices, most likely his friends, cheered on his new nickname.

"Neo...New Sawatari?" wondered Mitsumi.

Shingo nodded. "You gave me the idea, Mitsumi-chan!"

"I...I don't recall ever giving you that nickname." _'A pretty stupid one, at that.'_

Shingo shook his head. "Nuh-uh! You told me that people have been spreading rumors about me using my influence to try and cheat my way into the tournament! Well, I'm here to prove that wrong! I'll go to the extremes and work as hard as any other duelist! ...With some added bonus, like my soon-to-be newest appearance and new nickname I personally made up! How about it, Mitsumi-chan?"

 _'No, the whole nickname thing is all on you, idiot!'_ Mitsumi thought, sweatdropping. _'Although I did have a hand in telling him about those rumors...I mean, they're not wrong, but I did add in some details that weren't there...'_

"Yosh! Here I go!" said Shingo. "From my hand, I activate the Continuous Spell, Yosen Training Grounds!"

Rising from behind both Shingo and Mitsumi, a large shrine appeared with several unlit candles at the main table in front of the temple-like shrine, as though something was required to lit those candles.

 _'Yosen? That's a new card. I suspect he used his Daddy's money to buy himself a new, rare deck,'_ thought Mitsumi, unfazed, as she has experienced dueling Shingo's many different, rare decks, usually with her losing, though they were on purpose.

"And now, from my hand, I activate the Spell, Yosenju Oroshi Channeling!" continued Shingo. "Because I control no Monsters, I can activate one of the following effects, and for the rest of this turn, I can't Special Summon any Monsters except for Yosenju Monsters! I choose this effect: I add 1 Level 5 or higher Yosenju Monster from my deck to my hand! I choose Yosenju Oyam!"

 _'Definitely a new deck, that's for sure,'_ Mitsumi thought. _'I hope it's better than that WATER/Ice Attribute deck he used against Yuto. Honestly, I could have wielded that deck better, considering I did used to duel with an ice deck before.'_

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" cheered Shingo. "Here's the first part of my performance that Neo New Sawatari will show you! First, from my hand, I summon Yosenju Kama 1"

Yosenju Kama 1 - (WIND/Beast - Warrior) - LV4 - (1600/500)

"Kama 1's effect activates! Immediately after he's Normal Summoned, I can Normal Summon another Yosenju Monster from my hand! I Normal Summon Yosenju Kodam!"

Yosenju Kodam - (WIND/ Beast - Warrior) - LV1 - (0/0)

"There's more!" said Shingo. "Yosen Training Grounds' effect activates! Each time a Yosenju Monster is Normal or Special Summoned, I can place 1 Yosen Counter onto the Spell! Since I already summoned two Yosenju Monsters, I gain 2 Yosen Counters!"

Yosen Training Grounds - 2 Yosen Counters

"I now activate Yosenju Kama's effect! Only when I control another Yosenju Monster, and only once per duel, I can target 1 face-up card my opponent controls and return that card to their hand! I choose Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights!"

"What?!" exclaimed Tatsuki. "That means I have to return him back to my Extra Deck! Damnit, all of my hard work!"

 _'Whoa, that means that neither of our opponents have any cards on their field! The combined efforts of both me and Shingo did this much!'_ Mitsumi thought, bearing an actual, shocked expression as she turned to Shingo. For the first time, she was actually impressed by him. _'As much as I'm reluctant to say this...Actually, I feel he does deserve this, but Shingo actually did some good for a change!'_

Shingo noticed Mitsumi staring at him with an awed expression that held a curt, cute smile and felt flustered. _'Mitsumi-chan looks quite impressed with me! Well, of course she does! I'm awesome! But...this time, I feel like she genuinely feels much more impressed with me than anything else!'_ he thought before focusing back to the duel. _'Alright, then it's time to show more of my cool side to her!'_

"Now, I activate Kodam's effect! I Tribute him in order to target 1 Yosen Training Grounds I control, so I can place 3 Yosen Counters onto it!"

Yosen Training Grounds - 5 Yosen Counters

"Now I activate Yosen Training Grounds' effect! I discard 3 of the Yosen Counters in order to add 1 Yosenju card from my deck to my hand! I choose...the Pendulum Monster, Mayosenju Daibak!"

Yosen Training Grounds - 2 Yosen Counters

"W-WHAT?!" screamed Mitsumi, swiftly turning to Shingo with a shocked expression. "H-How did you get a Pendulum Monster?!"

Shingo smirked. "Why, I'd be more than happy to tell you, Mitsumi-chan! As it so happens, I got them from LDS, specifically from Akaba-san!"

"What?!" Without thinking, Mitsumi suddenly marched up to her partner and grabbed him by the collar, shaking his shocked self back and forth rather harshly. "Oh, that is total bullshit! There's no way you of all people-"

Mitsumi paused, stunned by even her own actions and at what she just said. She dropped Shingo and turned away, silently cursing at herself. For just that moment, she allowed her emotions to get the best of her, and as a result, she accidentally let out her true self, the one she feared others would dislike upon. The shock of him suddenly having Pendulum Monsters and the harsh memory of the first time he used Pendulum Monsters, which was by taking them away from her by force must have gotten to her, so she needed a moment to cool down.

Shingo himself was shocked by both Mitsumi's words and actions. NEVER did he expect her to react in such a...harsh and violent manner. It was like witnessing a new side of her that he's never seen her in all the years he's known her. Just where did this come from, all of a sudden? Well, he certainly expected her to be shocked, that's for sure, but he didn't expect her to suddenly spout out foil language and get so aggressive.

"...I...I'm sorry. I...this new revelation reminded me about the last time we dueled...When you first used your Pendulum-Well, Yuya's Pendulum Monsters for the first time," Mitsumi apologized, forcing herself to revert back to her shy and kind persona. "I hope you can forgive me, Sawatari-san."

Oh, so that was it! Bad memories caused his dear Mitsumi-chan to react such a way! Yes, perhaps he wasn't acting like a true gentleman back then, and their last duel must have dug up some really horrible memories, which is why Mitsumi-chan acted that way! Well, it was fine if it's like that but...what is this sense of unease he's feeling in his chest?

"N-No, it's alright! Ahem! I set a card and end my turn! At this moment, Yosen Kama 1's effect activates! During the End Phase, if he was Normal Summoned this turn, I have to return him back to the hand!"

 _'How's he supposed to defend himself with no Monster at all?'_ wondered Mitsumi. _'Unless that Set card he placed down earlier might help bail him out?'_

"Finally, my turn!" said Tatsuki, drawing her card. "I activate the Spell, Reinforcement of the Army! Now, I get to add 1 Level 4 or lower Warrior Monster from my deck to my hand! I add Noble Knight Medraut to my hand and then Normal Summon him!"

Noble Knight Medraut - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1700/1000)

"Right now, Medraut is a LIGHT Normal Monster, but his effect allows him to become an Effect Monster, as well as gain 1 Level and change his Attribute to DARK! Therefore, I equip him with Noble Arms - Caliburn, which will increase his Attack Points by 500!"

Noble Knight Medraut - (DARK/Warrior) - LV5 - (2200/1000)

"Now, I activate the additional effect of Caliburn! Once per turn, me and Tatsumi gain 500 extra Life Points!"

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 9500 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 7500 LP**

"Now, I activate Medraut's other effect! Once per turn, if I control no other Monsters, I can Special Summon another Noble Knight Monster from my deck in Defense Mode, but if I do, then I have to destroy 1 Equip Spell I control, so in exchange for Caliburn's destruction, I'll Special Summon Noble Knight Eachtar!"

Noble Knight Medraut - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1700/1000)

Noble Knight Eachtar - (DARK/Warrior) - LV5 - (1600/2000)

"I activate the Equip Spell, Noble Arms - Gallatin to Medraut, thus increasing his Attack Points by 1000 and made him activate his secondary effects all over again!"

Noble Knight Medraut - (DARK/Warrior) - LV5 - (2700/1000)

Shingo snorted. "Ha! So, what? Last I recall, you said that Gallatin decreases Medraut's Attack Points by 200 for every Standby Phase! What's that going to do? You can't even attack because my dear Mitsumi-chan's Monster has higher Defense Points! All you've done is degrade yourself even further!"

"...Sawatari-san, she's going to XYZ Summon."

"Hah?" Shingo turned to Mitsumi. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, she's going to XYZ Summon! Look, she has two Level 5 Monsters!"

"That's right, rich boy," taunted Tatsuki. "And now, I Overlay my two Level 5 Monsters! XYZ Summon! Come forth, Rank 5! Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus!"

Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus - (LIGHT/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 5 - (2200/2200)

Shingo placed a hand on his chest, sighing. "Whew! For a sec, you had me worried, but it's no big deal! We've still got higher defense!"

Tatsuki smirked. "Oh, yeah? You might want to reconsider after this! First, when he's XYZ Summoned, I can target up to 3 Noble Arms Equip Spells with different names from my Graveyard and equip them onto Artorigus! I equip Noble Arms - Gallatine and Caliburn to him! That means that he gains 500 from Caliburn, and 1000 from Gallatine, making a grand total of 1500!"

Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus - (LIGHT/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 5 - (3700/2200)

"Now, I activate Artorigus' effect! Once per turn, I detach an Overlay Unit in order to target 1 other Monster on the field to destroy that Monster! I target Soul Ogre to destroy him!"

Artorigus raised his swords and clinked them together, pointing straight at Soul Ogre and firing beams of light from the tips of his swords, utterly obliterating Soul Ogre and leaving Mitsumi and Shingo's fields wide open.

"You two are wide open!" shouted Tatsuki. "But, just to be on the safe side, I equip Noble Arms - Clarent to Artorigus! Now, I attack you directly!"

"Not so fast!" spoke Shingo triumphantly, standing in front of Mitsumi, as though to shield her. "I'll have my triumphant return yet! I activate the effect of Yosenju Oyam from my hand! When your Monster declares a Direct Attack, I can discard a Yosenju Monster from my hand to the Graveyard and Special Summon Oyam from my hand in Attack Mode!"

Yosenju Oyam - (WIND/Beast) - LV6 - (?/?)

"Why is it unknown?" wondered Tatsumi.

"Simple!" explained Shingo. "His Attack and Defense Points are equal to the Original Attack Points of the Monster he's battling!"

 _'...Shingo, you're a goddamn idiot,'_ Mitsumi thought, as the calculations quickly proceeded, showing the results of Yosenju Oyam's Attack and Defense Points.

Yosenju Oyam - (WIND/Beast) - LV6 - (2200/2200)

"What?! Why's he so much weaker than that XYZ Monster?!"

"Sawatari-san...his Original Attack and Defense Points were like that," pointed out Mitsumi. "Right before Nimira-san increased his Attack Points with her Equip Spells."

"...Shit!"

"It wouldn't have mattered, anyways!" said Tatsuki. "I activate the effect of Noble Arms - Clarent! By paying 500 Life Points, I get to have the equipped Monster attack directly this turn! That means Artorigus attacks you both directly!"

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 9000 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 7500 LP**

Artorigus bypassed Yosenju Oyam, instead slashing his swords down onto both Mitsumi and Shingo, causing them to crash and slide across the castle wall grounds harshly.

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 9000 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 3800 LP**

"Ugh! My princely outfit got all dirty!" complained Shingo, remarking about the dust and dirt that got onto his robes.

 _'You're more concerned about your appearance than the difference in our Life Points?'_ Mitsumi thought, sweatdropping as she got up, not minding nor caring about her armor getting dirtied. _'But, this is seriously bad! We're having seriously bad luck, and next up is Tatsumi's turn! If all goes well for him, he may finish us off in his next turn!'_

"I end my turn!" said Tatsuki confidently. "You're up next, little brother!"

Yosenju Oyam - (WIND/Beast) - LV6 - (?/?)

"Yes, big sis!" Tatsumi said, drawing his card. "I draw! Now, I activate the Spell, Soul Charge! I can Special Summon any number of Monsters from my Graveyard, but I have to pay 500 Life Points for each Monster summoned this way! I Special Summon 2 of my Monsters and give up 1000 Life Points!"

Jenis, Lightsworn Mender - (LIGHT/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (300/2100)

Kirion, Lightsworn Lancer - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1700/1000)

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 8000 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 3800 LP**

"Next, I Overlay my two Level 4 Lightsworn Monsters in order to build the Overlay Network XYZ Summon! Come forth, Minerva the Exalted Lightsworn!"

Minerva the Exalted Lightsworn - (LIGHT/Fairy/XYZ) - Rank 4 - (2000/800)

"Now, I detach 1 Overlay Unit to send the top 3 from my deck to the Graveyard! If there are any Lightsworn cards within them, then I get to draw cards equal to the number of Lightsworn cards sent to the Graveyard through this effect! One of the cards was Felis, Lightsworn Archer! Therefore, I draw 1 card! And now I activate Felis' effect from the Graveyard! If she was sent from the Deck to the Graveyard through a Monster effect, I get to Special Summon her!"

Felis, Lightsworn Archer - (LIGHT/Beast - Warrior/Tuner) - LV4 - (1100/2000)

"Now, from my hand, I Normal Summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin, to the field!"

Jain, Lightsworn Paladin - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1800/1200)

"I tune my Level 4 Felis with my Level 4 Jain to Synchro Summon my Level 8 Monster! Synchro Summon! Judgement, the Dragon of Heaven!"

Judgement, the Dragon of Heaven - (LIGHT/Dragon/Synchro) - LV8 - (3000/2600)

"Crap! They've both got really powerful Monsters on the field!" cursed Shingo.

"Sawatari-san! I think now's a good time to try and find some Action Cards!" urged Mitsumi.

"Y-Yeah! Sure!" Shingo turned and started to make a break for it but stopped, hissing in pain as he knelt down. "S-Shit! My foot!"

 _'His foot?'_ Mitsumi thought, eyes widened. _'Oh, crap! That's right! I kinda crushed his foot earlier! Damnit! Of all the times to unleash my anger out on him, why'd the consequences have to be now?!'_

Quickly, Mitsumi wrapped Shingo's arm around her neck, helping him up to his feet as they started wandering around in search for any Action Cards. Because of his somewhat limp leg, Mitsumi had to half-carry, half-drag him around while roaming around.

"Ah...this feels nice," commented Shingo, snuggling his head against her neck.

 _'If it weren't for the fact that we're in a duel, and that he's injured, I would have 'accidentally' made him fall,'_ Mitsumi thought, annoyed as she ignored Shingo's attempt of cuddling.

"What are you doing, Tatsumi?!" called out Tatsuki. "Don't just stand there and watch! Continue your turn!"

"R-Right! Sorry!" apologized Tatsumi. "Now, I activate the effect of Judgement Dragon from my hand! He can't be Normal or Set, only Special Summoned from my hand by having 4 or more Lightsworn Monsters with different names in my Graveyard! And I have Lightsworn Felis, Jain, Jenis, and Ehren in my Graveyard!"

"Ehren? I don't remember him using that card during his last turn," commented Shingo as both him and Mitsumi continued searching for Action Cards.

"He probably put that Monster in his Graveyard during his last End Phase. Kirion's effect made him discard the top two cards of his deck, after all," answered Mitsumi.

"Now, with all of the conditions set, I Special Summon Judgement Dragon!" announced Tatsumi.

Judgement Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV8 - (3000/2600)

Mitsumi and Shingo stopped where they were to gaze at the powerful Monsters now on their field. They were at a huge disadvantage at the moment, since they barely had any cards on their field, while their opponents had 4 very powerful Monsters ready to absolutely destroy them.

"...Move!" cried out Mitsumi, picking up the pace with Shingo quick to agree with her.

"Battle! Minerva attacks Yosenju Oyam!" shouted Tatsumi as he rushed towards his sister. Clasping her hands together, Tatsuki boosted her brother up and helped him elevate to one of the higher grounds of the Field Spell in search for an Action Card. Tatsuki leapt up to the higher grounds to join her brother as they both attempted to search for Action Cards.

Yosenju Oyam - (WIND/Beast) - LV6 - (2000/2000)

"I activate the effect of Yosenju Tsujik from my hand!" shouted Shingo as his Yosenju Oyam's effect activated. "During either Player's Damage Step, when a Yosenju Monster I control battles an opponent's Monster, I can discard Tsujik, and that Yosenju Monster gains 1000 extra Attack Points until the end of this turn!"

Yosenju Oyam - (WIND/Beast) - LV6 - (3000/2000)

Minerva attempted to send out her magic to finish off Yosenju Oyam, only for Oyam to casually fling the magic away, reflecting it back towards her, thus destroying her.

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 7000 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 3800 LP**

"Minerva's effect activates!" called out Tatsumi. "If she's destroyed in battle, I can send the top 3 cards on my deck to the Graveyard, and then destroy cards on the field up to the number of Lightsworn cards sent to the Graveyard by this effect! One of my cards was a Lightsworn Monster, so I get to destroy your Monster, Oyam!"

Mitsumi, knowing that the destructive effect was coming, contemplated what to do. They were utterly helpless if their only Monster was destroyed, meaning they were up for grabs the second they were vulnerable for two Direct Attacks, which she was certain they would not survive. She could always use her Set card and then maybe, they could survive-

"I got it! The Action Card, Set Seal!" called out Tatsuki. "I select 1 Set card on the field, and it can't be activated for the rest of this turn! You, blue-haired girl! I choose your set card!"

 _'Well, fuck me sideways, we're doomed,'_ thought Mitsumi, forced to resort to a slightly more drastic measure as she suddenly tossed Shingo on her shoulder, making it easier for her to move around much faster.

"Whoa, whoa! Hey!" exclaimed Shingo, bouncing slightly up and down with Mitsumi's rash and swift movements making them go all over the place. "Hey, put me down! This is so embarrassing!"

"Can you see any Action Cards?"

"What?"

"Right now, I can only focus on what's in front of me. I need you to see if you spot any Action Cards from behind."

"No way!" protested Shingo. "Besides, it's embarrassing for a man to allow a beautiful lady like yourself to carry him around! It'll be more easier if you put me down and-"

Suddenly, an explosion stopped short of Shingo's sentence, causing him to go wide-eyed when he saw that his Monster was destroyed because of Minerva's effect, thus leaving the two of them defenseless.

"...Okay, you win."

"Now, I attack!" declared Tatsumi. "I attack you directly with my two dragons!"

"Mitsumi-chan! Look! An Action Card! At that wall!" pointed out Shingo before shrieking when he saw two very strong and large dragon soaring towards them, thus causing him to cling tightly onto Mitsumi. "EEEEEEEKKKK! HURRY!"

 _'My God, you scream like a girl,'_ thought Mitsumi, wearing an annoyed expression as she turned around and ran around, spotting the Action Card Shingo was referring to. Judgement Dragon was the first to attack, firing off a light elemental dragon's breath at the two. Mitsumi managed to snatch the Action Card before she and Shingo were struck by Judgement Dragon's attack, causing them to crash and spread out throughout the Action Field.

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 7000 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 800 LP**

"I-I activate the Action Card, Big Escape!" called out Mitsumi. "It ends the Battle Phase!"

Tatsumi's Synchro Monster, Judgement, the Dragon of Heaven, ceased his breath attack and flew back to his master's side alongside his other counterpart, Judgement Dragon.

"If that's the case, then I end my turn," said Tatsumi. "At this moment, my two Dragons' effects activate! For Judgement Dragon, I have to discard the top 4 cards of my deck to the Graveyard. As for my Synchro Monster, I have to banish the top 4 cards of my deck to the Graveyard! Whew! We're close to victory, big sis! I can feel it!"

Tatsuki nodded, though she held a concerned expression behind her helmet. _'I guess so, but we need to end this duel quickly. A major weakness for Tatsumi is that he's forced to send so many of his cards to the Graveyard. It's a major problem because sometimes, that tends to be the reason we lose at times, so next time it's my turn, I'll have to end it all. We won't lose! We'll prevail to the tournament!'_

"I draw..." panted Mitsumi, getting back up. "I play Pot of Greed, letting me draw two new cards! Now, I activate my set card, the Continuous Trap, Call of the Haunted! This lets me Special Summon a Monster in Attack Mode so long as this card remains in play! I Special Summon Evigishki Soul Ogre in Attack Mode!"

Evigishki Soul Ogre - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV8 - (2800/2800)

"Oh! Amazing!" said Shingo, who managed to stand up by himself. "At least it's not weak anymore! ...Why is that?"

"Originally, he was Ritual Summoned using Forbidden Arts of the Gishki," explained Mitsumi. "But after a Ritual Monster's been Ritual Summoned to the field and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon that Monster from the Graveyard using any methods I want. Forbidden Arts of the Gishki's effects were only valid when he was Ritual Summoned the first time, but they ended after he was sent to the Graveyard."

"So now, you can go all out! Whoo! Mitsumi-chan, as your handsome prince, I command you to attack the enemy!"

"I can't do that because the 'enemy' also has 2 3000 Attack Point Monsters. The sister has a 3700 Attack Point XYZ Monster, so I can't target her, either...Unless..." Mitsumi paused and glanced at her remaining cards. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Twin Twisters! I discard a card in order to target up to 2 Spells/Traps on the field and destroy them! I now target Noble Arms - Gallatine and Clarent!"

Gusts of wind formed into one twister that made its way towards Tatsuki's XYZ Monster, vacuuming away the extra strength he held with those two Equip Spells that gave him strength. Once they were gone, he was still standing strong, but slightly more weaker.

Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus - (LIGHT/Warrior/XYZ) - Rank 5 - (2700/2200)

"Shit!" cursed Tatsuki, realizing that her Monster was as good as gone should Mitsumi attack her Monster. With that knowledge in mind, Tatsuki made a break for it, attempting to find an Action Card.

"I'll go find one, too!" Shingo said, trying to run as well before the pain in his foot caused him to trip and fall. "Gah!" He curled up, clutching his foot and hissing in pain.

"Shi-Sawatari-san!" Mitsumi caught herself on time and rushed to Shingo, kneeling down near him. In a haste, she removed his shoes and saw that even though his foot was bandaged up and already treated, she could still see signs of his injury. Without thinking, she grabbed some of his ridiculous kingly-like clothing and ripped them to shreds.

"Eep!" shrieked Shingo, turning red in the face. "H-Hey, what are you-?!"

"Shut up, I'm trying to help you!" snapped Mitsumi, forming the shredded clothing into bandages to help soften his foot's injury. Once again, without warning, she scooped him up in his arms and took him to a corner, making him lean against the wall for support. "There. You should sit down and rest and leave everything else to me."

 _'Why? Why am I helping him?!'_ Mitsumi thought, still trying to sweet talk and comfort Shingo. _'He's a pompous asshole, that's for sure, but...I guess it is my fault that he ended up this way. Maybe I did go a bit too far with him this time, and this is kinda my way of making up for what I've done...'_

"You know...I normally would have complained about the whole princess carry thing, and how I'm supposed to carry you, but just this once, I'll let it slide," said Shingo. "After all, it's not everyday that I get to be nursed by a beautiful, cute girl like yourself, Mitsumi-chan-OW!"

 _'Okay, maybe it's okay to 'accidentally' press down a bit,'_ thought Mitsumi, slightly amused at seeing Shingo's pained expression and yelp that came with it. Both glanced at their other opponents and saw, with the twins' spectacular teamwork, they managed to grab an Action Card.

"Okay, I'll go continue my turn. I won't be far, so you'll definitely be able to rest from here. Just rest, okay?" Mitsumi said kindly. And this time, it wasn't a fake kindly tone, she genuinely did express concern and softness towards Shingo before focusing back on the duel.

Mitsumi, after waiting and seeing how she's gotten the twins' attention, resumed her turn. "From my hand, I Normal Summon Gishki Abyss!"

Gishki Abyss - (WATER/Fish) - LV2 - (800/500)

"And when he's summoned, his special ability activates! I get to add a Gishki Monster with 1000 or less Defense Points from my deck to my hand! I add Gishki Vanity to my hand and then discard him! I now activate the Ritual Spell, Gishki Aquamirror! I can Tribute Monsters from the field and/or hand whose total Levels equals the same as the Ritual Monster I'm about to summon! I Tribute my Level 8 Soul Ogre along with my Level 2 Gishki Abyss in order to Ritual Summon Gishki Zielgigas!"

"At this moment, I activate the Action Spell, Reinforcement Reject!" shouted Tatsumi. "If you Special Summon a Monster, that Special Summon is negated!"

"Then, I activate Gishki Vanity's effect!" countered Mitsumi. "This turn, you can't activate Spells, Traps, Spell/Trap effects, or Monster effects when a Gishki Monster is being Ritual Summoned!"

"Oh, no!" cried out Tatsumi.

A barrier shielded the effects of Reinforcement Reject as it surrounded a magic circle surrounded by lit candles as Mitsumi's Gishki Abyss and Evgishki Soul Ogre were sent to the center of the magic circle. The magic circle glowed blue before illuminating brightly, summoning forth Gishki Zielgigas.

Gishki Zielgigas - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV10 - (3200/0)

 _'With Zielgigas, I could finish off one of the Judgement Monsters Tatsumi has,'_ thought Mitsumi, glancing over to Tatsumi's side of the field. _'But when it comes to Tatsuki's turn again, she might power up her Monster, and there's that special ability that I'm worried about. She still has one more Overlay Unit, so it's most likely she'll use that again. Okay, then I'll target her Monster!'_

"I activate the Spell, Dian Keto the Cure Master, so now, we gain 1000 extra Life Points!"

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 7000 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 1800 LP**

"Now, I use up those 1000 Life Points in order to activate Zielgigas' effect!" said Mitsumi. "I draw a card and then reveal it, and if it's a Gishki Monster, I get to shuffle 1 card from the field onto the deck! I draw!" She drew her card, revealing it to be Gishki Noellia. "I draw a Gishki Monster, so I target Judgement Dragon!"

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 7000 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 800 LP**

"I won't let you!" shouted Tatsuki. "I activate the Action Card, Detour! I negate the effect of a Monster you control, and if I do, I also get to inflict 500 Points of Damage!"

The Action Card appeared and shot out a ray of light, negating Zielgigas' effect as well as inflicting damage to Mitsumi once the light shined onto her.

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 7000 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 300 LP**

 _'We're almost out of Life Points! This is pretty bad!'_ Mitsumi thought. "I attack Artorigus with my Monster!"

As Zielgigas charged up a water-like attack with his many palms, Tatsuki surged into action, as well as Mitsumi, with both trying to find an Action Card. Almost simultaneously, the two girls spotted Action Cards of their own and chased after them.

Mitsumi proved to be faster because she was closest to her Action Card. Once she saw Tatsuki was close to getting her own Action Card, Mitsumi read through the effects of her Action Card and activated it. "Action Card, Dynamic Dynamite! You lose 800 Points of Damage!"

Just as the Action Card was within Tatsuki's grasp, the Action Card's effect caused the spot she was standing on to explode, sending her farther away from her intended Action Card. Luckily for her, she spotted an Action Card near a flag, causing her to regain her momentum in the air and snatch the Action Card.

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 6200 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 300 LP**

 _'Damnit!'_ Mitsumi thought. She had the perfect timing and had activated the Action Card to not only inflict Effect Damage, but to also make sure she didn't get any Action Cards! While it was good that their Life Points decreased, it was now bad because she unintentionally got an Action Card!

"Action Card, Miracle! If a Monster on the field battles, it can't be destroyed by that battle and Battle Damage is halved!"

Zielgigas unleashed the pulsing water attack he's been charging up onto Artorigus, effectively damaging him, yet thanks to Miracle, he still remained standing, though the other Tag Team did suffer Battle Damage, even if halved.

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 5950 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 300 LP**

"Whew! Your Monster survived, big sis!" complimented Tatsumi.

"Not so fast!" exclaimed Shingo, who was now standing up, using the wall to support him. "I activate the Action Card, Second Attack! One Monster can attack twice, and I choose Mitsumi's Ritual Monster! Go, Mitsumi-chan! You can do this!"

Although Mitsumi wanted to help Shingo rest at this very moment, she was grateful for his assistance. "Right, thanks! Zielgigas, attack Artorigus once more!"

Zielgigas charged even faster and effectively than before, firing off a full-powered water blast that destroyed the XYZ Monster once and for all.

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 5700 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 300 LP**

"I end my turn," said Mitsumi before turning to Shingo. "Sawatari-san-"

"Don't worry, I'm alright!" assured Shingo, walking next to her while still slightly limping on one leg. "I can't let an injury get down Neo New Sawatari! Now, let's get this show on the road!"

"Hmph, what's your next turn going to be?" questioned Tatsuki confidently. "I doubt you can even finish things off. We have the higher ground here, so naturally, with mine and my brother's combined efforts, we'll be able to win for certain!"

"We'll see about that! I draw!" Shingo drew his card and grinned. "Alright! I'm so lucky today! I set the Pendulum Scale using Scale 3 Yosenju Shinchu L and Scale 5 Yosenju Shinchu R!"

Two Monsters with identical, yet differently colored faces rose up high in the air in reflected light pillars, showcasing the start of a Pendulum Summoning as their Scale Numbers appeared beneath them.

 _'Yeah, I should have expected him to Pendulum Summon, but with those Pendulum Scales, he can only Pendulum Summon Level 4 Monsters,'_ thought Mitsumi.

Shingo raised his arms triumphantly and announced, "And now, I'm going to reveal something fantastic! I activate Yosenju Shinchi R's effect! Once per turn, if I have a Yosenju card in my other Pendulum Zone, I can make R's Pendulum Scale become 11 until the end of this turn! And I can't Special Summon any Monsters except Yosenju Monsters!"

Just as Shingo said, the Scale Number underneath Yosenju Shinchi R immediately changed from 5 to 11.

"With this, I'm able to summon Monsters from Levels 4 to 11 simultaneously! Pendulum Summon! O wind-clad chief of phantoms! Gouge these lands with your raging cloak! Come forth! Mayosenju Daibak!"

Mayosenju Daibak - (WIND/Beast/Pendulum) - LV10 - (3000/300) - Scale 7

 _'That's an extremely powerful Monster!'_ Mitsumi thought, impressed. _'He's on par with the two Judgement Dragons, but he still needs an extra boost if he wants to beat them! I should go find an Action Card just in case, then!'_

"Daibak's effect activates!" said Shingo. "If he's Special Summoned or even Normal Summoned, I can target up to 2 cards on the field and return them to the hand! I choose the 2 Judgement Dragons on the field!"

"What?!" exclaimed Tatsumi before flinching from the overwhelming gusts of wind coming from Shingo's newly summoned Monster.

"There's one more thing I'd like to point out," said Shingo. "I activate my Continuous Trap, Dizzying Winds of Yosen Village! This can only be activated if I control Mayosenju Daibak! If a card, except a Yosenju card, would be returned from the field to the hand by a card effect, one must shuffle that card back to the deck! And, combined with Daibak's effect, you have to return Judgement Dragon to the deck instead of the hand! Well, except for the Synchro Monster, of course!"

"He's right!" pointed out Tatsumi, flinching from the overwhelming winds of Mayosenju Daibak as the large Beast-Type WIND Monster activated his effect to forcibly return his two Monsters away; one into the deck, and the other back to the Extra Deck. "We're completely defenseless!"

Shingo narrowed his eyes. _'This is a great opportunity to attack them directly, but even if I attack them with my Monster, it'll only be 3000 Points of Damage, not enough to take them down. Still, I-'_

"Action Card, Double Attack!"

"Huh?"

Everyone glanced up and saw Mitsumi on top of a bridge above Shingo, having rushed up as fast as possible and activating the Action Card she found on the bridge.

"Double Attack...It targets 1 Monster on the field, and its Attack Points are doubled its current Attack Points this turn! I target Daibak!"

Mayosenju Daibak - (WIND/Beast/Pendulum) - LV10 - (6000/300) - Scale 7

Shingo gasped and his eyes shimmered with stars. "Wow, Mitsumi-chan! Good job! As expected of my future lo-"

"Just hurry up and attack them directly!" called out Mitsumi, clutching the railings of the rope bridge.

"Oh, right, right, right!" Shingo faced the two twins and commanded, 'Mayosenju Daibak! Attack them directly!"

Releasing a roar that echoed throughout the Action Field, Mayosenju Daibak inhaled a deep breath before letting it all out in the form of a tornado-like dragon's breath, all directly towards the two twins and literally blowing them away, leading to their defeat.

 **Tatsuki and Tatsumi - 0 LP**

 **Mitsumi and Shingo - 300 LP**

 **Winners: Mitsumi and Shingo**

The moment the Action Duel concluded with two clear winners, the audience applauded and cheered loudly, the most loudest being Shingo's three friends, as the Action Field vanished, leaving four very exhausted duelists.

 **"The Tag Team duelists that won this official match is Mitsumi Nazuno and Shingo Sawatari! Congrats to both of them!"** announced Nico through his microphone.

"Sawatari-san, that was amazing!" exclaimed Mitsumi, rushing up to him and helping him properly stand.

"Ow, ow, ow...I know, I'm amazing!" bragged Shingo, puffing his chest out. "But, it was all thanks to you finding that Action Card for me, Mitsumi-chan. Without that, I never would have won this duel without your help."

"You two are pretty good," said Tatsuki as she and her twin brother walked up to them. "I guess Tag Teams are also effective not just with siblings, but with a couple as well!"

"O-Oh, we're not a couple!" assured Mitsumi.

Shingo smirked. "Oh, are we? I know I'm pretty close to stealing your heart, Mitsumi-chan.~"

 _'Shut up, dude, before I feel REALLY tempted to smash your foot in again.'_

"Still, even if you two aren't a couple, your teamwork was pretty good, though I admit, it still needs a bit of work," advised Tatsumi. "Me and my big sis has a lot of work to be done for our teamwork, as well."

"You know what?" Shingo said, turning to Mitsumi. "I think this calls for a little reward, like...a celebratory kiss!"

Mitsumi anticipated he would try something like that, so she was prepared by stopping him; smushing her open palm against his lips before turning to the twins. "Oh, would it be okay if we used your school's infirmary and visit there again? I'm worried Sawatari-san may have accidentally opened his foot wound, so I want to make sure he's in good hands."

Tatsumi nodded. "Of course! Let's get him to safety! Follow us!"

"Hey, Mitsumi-chan! What about my kiss?"

"Your injury is more important! Yeah! Let's just hurry up!"

* * *

 _Later..._

 _'From what the doctor's been telling me, Shingo's going to be alright after receiving a full day of rest, which means he'll be back and up by tomorrow,'_ Mitsumi thought, leaning against the wall near the infirmary. _'He's annoying and gets on my nerves a lot, but...I'm glad he's alright, unlike that one time his injuries weren't even that serious against Yuto.'_

"Nazuno-kun!" This time, it was Nico Smiley who approached her with a huge grin. "That was truly a fantastic Tag Team Duel! You've won 5 duels thus far, so you've only got one more to go before you're qualified to enter the tournament!"

"Okay, then."

"But, I have to ask, why did you win?"

"Uh...what?" Mitsumi tilted her head in confusion at the question. "Come again?"

"All this time, you've held disdain and disinterest in this tournament, showing no signs of wanting to participant whatsoever, and yet, you still pushed yourself to win, especially since that Ritual deck isn't the one you used 10 years ago," replied Nico. "You could have easily thrown in the previous matches, and yet you didn't, why?"

"...I promised my teacher that I would try my best in this tournament," explained Mitsumi. "Not like I wanted to participate in this, but I did say I would give it a shot."

"Oh? But didn't you hate Sawatari-san? If anything, this was the perfect chance for you to throw in the towel while dragging him down with you. That way, one less rival for your other friends to deal with and no repercussions for you since you weren't even interested in the tournament to begin with."

 _'...Fuck, I could have done that,'_ thought Mitsumi, placing a palm over her face. _'I could have done that, but...but it wouldn't...'_

"...It wouldn't have done any good for Shingo," answered Mitsumi. "And I don't hate him, I just dislike him and find him really annoying. As much as I would find Shingo losing really satisfying, it wouldn't feel...right to just drag him down with him because of my own personal problems."

"So, you do care for him," said Nico.

"You saw me trying to care for him during the last duel. I guess, in some deep, hidden way, I still do kinda care for him, but not that much. I mean, if he got into a car accident or something, I would help him but other than that? I'd rather push him down some stairs than listen to his hourly talk of romantic poems towards him."

Nico winched. "Ouch."

"...Hey, Smiley, can I...ask something personal?" asked Mitsumi.

"Depends, I guess."

"Well, it's more towards your opinion of me than anything personal about you."

"I can answer to the best of my ability."

Mitsumi nodded. "That's more than enough for me. I...what do you really think of me? I'm not this fragile and shy daffodil everyone thinks I am. That's just only a front because people would be more friendly towards kind individuals like that. But people like me? Cold, insulting, vulgar people aren't really well-received."

"Oh...That's why you held up such a front all this time?" asked Nico, surprised.

"Yeah. It's extremely straining, but it's well-worth it if I can see genuine smiles from my friends, not like those fake smiles from those corrupted businessmen and sponsors back during my Junior Pro Duelist days. Everyone back in that life was all fake smiles just to gain something, whether it's money, power, influence, something something something..."

Nico knew exactly what Mitsumi was referring to. Child prodigy duelists like her who were on the path to becoming Pro Duelists tend to be taken advantage of so easily by corrupted adults like the ones Mitsumi described. Pro Duelists have to deal with more than just dueling; they must also make public appearances, organize strict schedules, train, participate in photo shoots, TV commercials, shows, and so forth. Children are often victims to corrupted, unsuspecting people who want to take advantage of them for their own benefits, fake praising them and, if worst comes to worst, abandon those innocent children for themselves. Mitsumi is one such victim who suffered hardships, stress, and betrayals when she was a little child from such people; worst coming from her parents, who arranged and forced her to do many stressful things, making her becoming one of the many betrayed children who would have been abandoned had it not been for her smarts and refined dueling.

"Nazuno-kun," spoke up Nico, feeling sympathetic towards her. "Throughout the years as a manager, I've seen many things, both good and bad. I've witnessed child prodigies like you being emotionally and physically abused at young ages when they don't deserve to, yet I, like many people, can't do anything about it because of influence, connections to powerful people, and money. I'm not going to lie; you're quite a rude and insulting young lady who's easily annoyed and quick to temper. You're also pretty cold at times and, probably when given the chance, will probably resort to violence as well. But, even so...I can understand where this sort of harshness came from. But, on the inside, I know that you've still got a caring heart inside. I mean, you helped out Sawatari-san earlier."

"...No, I'm definitely still an asshole," Mitsumi sighed. "And, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm an even bigger asshole than Shingo."

"If this is about your true self-"

"No, not just that. It was what I was about to do earlier that I'm calling myself that."

"Earlier?" wondered Nico.

Mitsumi took a deep breath and sighed. "I...I wanted to screw over Shingo. I was going to call Yuya and the others...and tell them all about Shingo's new deck, especially the part where he somehow got Pendulum Monsters. If that happened, they would have an advantage over him. I was so close, and I was about to call the Call Button...but I stopped."

"You stopped?"

"Yeah. I didn't like Shingo, but...I guess I was horrified at how much I wanted to screw him over, that I stopped and reconsidered my choice before deciding not to tell them."

Nico brightened up. "Well, that's good! That just proves even further that you have a kind heart."

Mitsumi shook her head. "No, the fact that I was willing to and I even thought about telling the others about Shingo's deck makes me an even bigger asshole. I mean, Shingo did steal Yuya's Pendulum cards and even took some of my friends hostage just to have a duel with me that one time, but...I dunno, I think I'm just antagonizing myself, but it doesn't change the fact that no matter how close I am with my friends, no matter how many desserts I bake for them, no matter how much time I spend with them, it doesn't change that deep down, I am a horrible, horrible person."

"...Then just talk to your friends," suggested Nico. "Tell them who you are and everything else. I'm sure they'll understand."

"...I dunno," sighed Mitsumi. "I've kept this secret up from when I was a kid and met them. I can't just suddenly change from the sweet and delicate girl they know to this rough and tempered girl they don't know. I...I don't want to hurt them."

Nico scratched his cheek, wondering what to do for her. He's no good comforting others. In fact, one of the things he's good at is managing new duelists that have the potential to reach the top, just like he did with Strong Ishijima, and now with Yuya! The Dueling World is rather harsh, and he's witnessed lots of bad sides to the Dueling World, so he can understand Mitsumi's pain, something no child should have gone through, being manipulated and taken advantage of so easily.

"Well who else knows about your true self?"

"Recently, my teacher, and...Well, Grandma's known for a long time."

"Maybe talk with her and try and sort things out? I apologize, but-"

Mitsumi shook her head. "No, no, it's fine. It feels like such a refresher, talking to someone else about this. Anyways, when's my next duel?"

"Your 6th and final official duel takes place tomorrow. You look like you need to rest, so I'll give you the details later today."

Mitsumi nodded and started walking off. "Alright, then. Thanks."

"You're not going to stay and watch over Sawatari-san?" wondered Nico.

"Nah, his three goons can take care of him. See ya."

Nico frowned as he watched the young girl leave the hallways of the Duel School. _'Nazuno-kun...You've clearly suffered a lot in the past, and though you try very hard to move past that, it's obvious that large remnants of that are still lingering in your mind, deeply affecting you everyday. I hope you find people to help you...and to help you realize that deep down, you DO have a kind heart.'_

* * *

 **Okay, so I made Nico a bit OOC at the end here, but it's only for a little bit! So yeah, more of Mitsumi's past is further revealed and why she's like that, so it's not just her abusive parents that influenced her from the beginning, but others as well. Come on, you have to admit that there are indeed corrupt people willing to use children for their own means.**

 **And another duel ended, with Mitsumi winning, alongside Shingo! I decided to mix things up and make it interesting by performing a long duel! Originally, I had planned for the two opponents to have an EARTH and a FIRE deck, because Mitsumi's deck is WATER Attribute, and we only saw Shingo use the Yosenju deck ONE TIME during the anime, and it was WIND Attribute. I had planned for this duel to be elemental based, like Mitsumi and Shingo both having a WATER and WIND deck together, while their opponents had FIRE and EARTH decks, thus forming the whole four elements concept.**

 **However, I changed that at the very end, because the last four duels Mitsumi had were already elemental based. Her first official duel, I tried to focus on WATER Attribute. After that, Sakura's deck was full of EARTH-related cards. Clover's deck was WIND- based, and in the last duel besides this one, Mitsumi faced off against a FIRE Attribute deck, thus this completed the four elemental duels.**

 **For this duel, however, I decided instead of the four elements Tag Team duel, I would make her opponents DARK and LIGHT Attribute decks, though in this duel, it was more towards LIGHT Attributes than DARK. So, that makes 5 duels down, and one more to go.**

 **And yes, Unison Raid is a reference to Fairy Tail. You'll understand if you know what kind of magic it is and why I named the school that.**

 **Before I forget, I'd like to say that in the next chapter, there won't be a duel. Nope, just more development on Mitsumi and her inner conflict. A heads-up, if you're more curious about Mitsumi and you want to know more about her, ask your questions in the comment section, and I'll try to answer them within the next chapter.**

 **And before you guys say anything, no, I'm not going to change her fake shy and polite personality so suddenly during the tournament. She's still going to keep that fake personality even after the tournament. Sometime later, in the story, there'll be a midpoint where she'll definitely revert to her true self and stay like that, but for now, she's keeping her inner thoughts to herself while keeping up the fact that she's a shy daffodil who's good at baking sweets.**

 **Also, just to tell you guys, I will give you guys a hint of her opponent's deck in her last official duel. It...is a recently new deck made by Konami, kinda. There. That's all the hint I'm giving you.**

 **Well, with that said, read and review!**


	19. Backstory Pt 2

**Hey, guys! Like I mentioned in the last chapter, this will NOT be a dueling chapter. Instead, we're going to focus more on Mitsumi's perspective, so this is like a day before her final, official duel takes place. That also means that next chapter will be the final official duel for Mitsumi's qualifications!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs.**

* * *

"Oh, I see!" said Mitsumi, talking to Yuya on her D - Pad. "So, you managed to win your duel, huh? I guess tomorrow will be your final duel before you're finally qualified to enter the tournament. Good job! As for me, it's the same. If I manage to win tomorrow's official duel, then I'm good to go, too!"

 **"How'd you manage to win so far, anyways? I mean, not that I doubt your skills, but..."**

"Oh, I just got...really, really lucky. You said you struggled with your duels, right? Well, if that's the case, then compared to my duelists, yours were a lot tougher than mine."

Of course, that comment was another one of Mitsumi's lies just to butter up to Yuya and give him a slight bit of encouragement. In reality, perhaps a few of Mitsumi's opponents were tougher than Yuya's opponents, considering one of them, namely Clover, used to be a Junior Pro Duelist just like her.

 **"Well, I'm gonna meet up with everyone else later today...except, Gongenzaka. He said that he'll be real busy during the tournament, and I don't wanna disturb him. Wanna join up with me?"**

Mitsumi glanced at her watch and shook her head. "Oh, no thank you. I've still got to take care of Grandma. I still have to do some shopping and cook up tonight's dinner."

 **"Man, I wish I could eat dinner with you, Mitsumi!~ Your cooking is always delicious! Er...Don't tell my Mom that, or she'll kill me."**

Mitsumi gigged as she collected some vegetables from the vegetable aisle. "Don't worry, I won't."

 **"By the way, what kind of duel did you go through today? I had to face some Ritual user girl named Mieru."**

"Oh, another Ritual user? Just like me!"

 **"...Hey, yeah! Huh, I guess Ritual Summoning isn't that common around these parts. Sorry, I kinda forgot you used Ritual Summoning, Mitsumi."**

"No, it's alright, Yuya. Hmm...For me...I had to participate in a Tag Team duel."

 **"I thought official duels were only one-on-one? Oh, well. So, who happened to be your partner."**

Mitsumi didn't even bother faking nor hiding her annoyance. "...Sawatari-san."

 **"Oh...Oh! ...Oh. I am so sorry for you."**

 _'You have NO idea!'_ Mitsumi wanted to say. Instead, she brightened up her expression, and with a fake, chirpy tone, said, "No, no! It's alright! I'm okay! He didn't bother me...too much this time. Actually, he was much more impressive and stronger than before!"

 **"Hmm...Mitsumi, just say the word and I'll confront that jerk! I'd tell him to leave you alone, but...You know how stubborn he can be."**

 _'You'd think after the high number of rejections I've given him, he'd learn a thing or two. God I wish I threw him off that Action Field earlier,'_ Mitsumi thought, annoyed. "P-Please don't hurt him, Yuya! I don't really love him like that, but I don't want to see him get hurt."

 **"Oh, don't worry. Yuzu and Gongenzaka will happily take up that offer. ESPECIALLY YUZU."**

 _'You have no idea how much I want that. Actually, you have no idea how much I want to JOIN her with that,'_ Mitsumi though, wearing an evil smirk at the evil. "Well, even if that's the case, I'd still stop them. I don't want to see Sawatari-san get hurt." _'I totally do.'_

 **"Mitsumi, you're too kind for your own good...Well, the offer still stands if you want to join me and the others. If you see Gongenzaka on your way back home, say hi to him for us!"**

Mitsumi nodded. "Okay, I will! See you, Yuya!" She hung up and headed to the next aisle to grab some flour. _'If Yuya does win his final match, maybe I'll make one of his favorite desserts as a reward! Hmm...But he's got so many favorites, that it's hard to choose! Ugh! I can't reach the top of this! Oh, why does the flour always have to be at one of the taller sections?'_

Suddenly, the flour was yanked away from her fingers and handed to her. Mitsumi turned and saw that it was Hokuto, one of the three duelists that came to You Show Duel School for that three-person competition after the whole Yuto and Shingo incident. She always remembered him being that XYZ user that dueled against Yuya and lost.

Right besides him was the also another one of the three duelists, Masumi. As Mitsumi recalled, Matsumi was that Fusion user who fought against Yuzu using her Gem - Knight Fusion deck. Out of the three duelists, Mitsumi kinda liked her because she seemed very sharp and observant, just like her.

"Oh...Thank you," said Mitsumi, receiving the flour bag from Hokuto. "Can...Can I help you two with something?"

"Actually, not me. Masumi was the one who wanted to talk to you," replied Hokuto, pointing to his stern-faced friend.

"...I'm not the only one who wants to smack Sawatari in the face."

"Eh?" Hokuto and Mitsumi stared at Masumi, dumbfounded at what she said. "W-What?"

"Next time you try and talk to someone on the D - Pad, you may want to lower the volume a bit," advised Masumi, hinting that was how she and Hokuto knew about the phone call Mitsumi had with Yuya. "Anyways, your words say that you don't want to hurt him, yet I can tell that you do."

"W-What? No! Of course not!" said Mitsumi, quick to bring up her kind persona. "I may not like him romantically, but I would never dare to hurt him!"

"...If I wasn't such an expert, I would have believed you behind that fake expression," commented Masumi, narrowing her eyes. "At least you hide your emotions much easier than others. Tell me, how lo-"

"Uh...Matsumi? Why are we here, anyways? I know you didn't come here for a snack," interrupted Hokuto. "Instead, you just insisted we follow and talk to this girl."

 _'Wait, how long were they following me?!'_ Mitsumi thought before turning to Masumi with a smile. "S-So, can I help with somethin-"

"Save your false smiles and stuttering for someone who cares," scoffed Masumi, causing Mitsumi to form an irk mark on her head. "All I want to know is one thing. What do you know about the masked duelist and his companion?"

"Uh...You're really going to have to be more specific."

"I encountered a strange man with a red scarf and sunglasses earlier and apparently, he has some sort of masked friend. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I saw the masked duelist knock his friend out and say something about dueling being unsuited for Yuzu Hiragi," explained Matsumi.

"Yuzu? Wait, so the masked duelist talked to Yuzu?" wondered Mitsumi. "I'm sorry, Kotsu-san, but...I didn't know about this. Actually, this is the first I've heard of this. Yuzu-chan never told me anything about this."

Masumi glared at Mitsumi, trying to detect any lies coming from her, only to come up with nothing. "You really don't know anything, do you?"

"Kotsu-san, I don't mean to sound rude, but you're really not making this whole interrogation thing much easier," Mitsumi said. "You say, masked duelist, but I don't know anyone like that. I mean, there are a lot, and I mean, A LOT, of masked duelists in this city."

Hokuto nodded. "Yeah, she has a point there, Matsumi. I mean, I've met a couple of duelists who dresses up a lot and sometimes they wear masks, too. Maybe you should elaborate more on that."

Masumi sighed and turned to Mitsumi. "Alright, let me be more specific. No, let me draw you a picture." From her back pocket, she took out a small notebook and a pencil and began drawing down something. About a minute later, she presented Mitsumi her drawing. It wasn't a completely accurate picture, but it was enough for Mitsumi to identify who it was.

 _'Yuto?!'_ Mitsumi thought; a shocked expression forming on her face. _'Oh man..Yuto, what the hell did you do to piss off Kotsu?'_

"Judging from your expression, you know who he is. Maybe I should have been more clearer about this," commented Masumi. "So, what do you know?"

Mitsumi had no idea what Yuto had been doing, but despite all that, she didn't think he was a bad person, having spent some time taking care of him for a little while that night. However, at the same time, she wasn't really that close to him. They weren't enemies, but she own nothing to him. And even if she did, they were pretty much even now, with him having shown up and saving both her and Yuzu from Shingo, and in return, her taking care of a hungry and tired Yuto until he regained his energy.

After some thinking, Mitsumi decided to tell Masumi and Hokuto everything she knew about Yuto, She told them how she and Yuzu confronted Shingo in a warehouse in the docks, when all of a sudden, Yuto appeared to their rescue. She also mentioned how they met again last night, when she found him lying on the ground in the middle of the streets, exhausted and hungry, so she carried him back to her house to rest. They talked for a bit once they were outside her house and that he demanded to duel her before leaving after he beat her. Mitsumi also gave out a detailed explanation about Yuto's XYZ deck, something Hokuto was quite interested in, given that he, too, is also an XYZ user.

After revealing everything she knew, Mitsumi was met with silence from the two. Hokuto had an excited look on his face, presumably about the thought of possibly dueling another, high-skilled XYZ user in the future. As for Matsumi, she was deep in thought, still trying to take in all of the new information she had gained.

"...I see," spoke up Masumi, at long last. "Do you know anything about the red-scarfed man, then?"

Mitsumi shook her head. "I think I recall someone like that, though. But, we were nothing more than passing acquaintances. I accidentally bumped into him and dropped my card, the same card that I returned to Yuto. When he saw me with that card, he got aggressive with me and demanded me to tell him things. I didn't know what to do, but then one of my friends, Gongenzaka, saved me. We then ran to the police station for safety and were escorted back home. But that's all I know."

"Okay...While you haven't given us much information on that red-scarfed guy, you've given vital information about this Yuto person," said Masumi. "Thank you very much for telling us."

"Wait, can I ask something?" asked Mitsumi. "Why did you come to me for help? Shouldn't you have asked Yuzu for this?"

"Well, we could, but I doubt she and her other friend would have known anything," said Hokuto. "Besides, we thought to talk to you since you seemed to be friends with Hiiragi."

"Other friend?"

"Yeah, I heard from Masumi that before, when she encountered that masked duelist guy, Yuto? Yeah, I heard that she saw Yuzu with that blue-haired friend of hers. You know, the one that loves candy?"

"Hey, why are we telling her this?" Masumi questioned her friend.

Hokuto shrugged. "Hey, she answered all our questions. I see no harm in telling her."

Hokuto ended up telling Mitsumi all about what's been occurring the past few days. For some reason, some of the LDS teachers and students have gone missing in some incidents, including Masumi's favorite teacher, Professor Marco, hence why Masumi has been so determined to find the culprit and force them to tell her where the missing people were and what they've done to them. So far, Masumi's had only a few encounters, but the culprit or culprits have always managed to escape.

 _'If that's the case, then maybe Yuto does know more about what's going on. I know there there's been rumors of people missing, but I didn't think it was to this extent,'_ Mitsumi thought. "...I'm sorry, but everything I've told you is everything that I know. I'm sorry that I can't provide anymore details."

"No, I suppose this is all we can get out from you," sighed Masumi, shaking her head. "Anyways, thanks for the assist. With this much information, we're one step closing to finding Professor Marco!"

"...Do you really think your professor would have wanted such stupidity...?" Mitsumi muttered under her breath.

Masumi paused and glared at her. "What did you say?"

"Hmm? O-Oh, nothin-"

"No, you definitely said something just now! What was it?!" demanded Masumi.

Hokuto tried to calm her down. "Hey, Masumi, I don't-"

"Shut it!" Masumi snapped, prompting her friend to immediately zip his mouth. "What were you saying earlier?! About Professor Marco being stupid?!"

"I never even said anything like that!" cried out Mitsumi. "But, if you must know, I just think that what you're doing is...pretty stupid."

"How dare you-?! What makes you think what we're doing is stupid?! We're trying to find Professor Marco!"

Mitsumi narrowed her eyes. "You mean, Professor Marco AND the other missing people?"

Masumi gapped and was taken aback by her own wording. "O-Of course, I mean, them, too, but-"

"It sounds like you're mostly doing this for your professor, and disregarding any other victims. I'm not saying that's bad or anything, but it is pretty selfish."

"You-!"

"She is right, you know," commented Hokuto.

Masumi whirled around to face Hokuto. "Hokuto, you-!"

"Hey, hey," Hokuto said, raising his hands. "I'm not saying that I'm on her side. I'm just stating my mind. Me and Yaiba already know that you're doing this only for Professor Marco. If we find the culprit, we'll rescue both him and the other people, too."

Masumi nodded and turned back to Mitsumi with a somewhat smug look. "So? How's that for stupidity?"

"The fact that you were willing to say that you'd rather rescue your professor and disregard the others? Or the fact that you're disregarding your own safety that's more stupid in my opinion," replied Mitsumi.

"What's with that last bit?"

"I'm just saying, I'm pretty sure your professor wouldn't want you guys to risk your lives, and by endangering yourselves, you'd only be upsetting him, which is why I say what you're doing is stupid," Mitsumi explained. "Just leave everything to the police or something."

"Technically, LDS forces are investigating this," pointed out Hokuto. "And, we'd be more than happy to leave this to them but-"

"But they can't do anything! They're taking too long and we need to hasten the investigation!" snapped Masumi. "When I think about Professor Marco, all I can think about how much pain he must be in!"

"...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say anything rude about it. I just wanted to say my own opinion, but...I guess it's more harmful than ever," sighed Mitsumi. "But, even though I think this is a stupid idea for you guys to get involved, it's a noble cause."

Although Hokuto didn't even want to get involved in the investigation, he could agree with Mitsumi that what they were doing was indeed a noble cause. "Yeah, plus, if we're lucky, we get to duel that Yuto guy! After all, dueling is pretty much everything, from solving problem to life itself!"

Sensing the unease within Mitsumi, Masumi said, "Hey, speak your mind, why don't you? You look you want to say something to Hokuto."

"Ah...It's nothing, really, but...Well, I guess there is one thing I'd like to speak to you about regarding your last comment, Shijima-san," spoke up Mitsumi.

"Huh? What about? That dueling is pretty much everything in life?"

Mitsumi nodded. "Yes...that you're **wrong**."

"What's wrong with what I said?"

"It's fine if it's your own opinion, but from mine, I don't think dueling is everything. No, in fact, I think it's much less important than the things that are more important in life."

Hokuto looked confused. "Huh? Things that are more important than dueling? Like, what?"

"Like, family and friends, for instance," answered Mitsumi, smiling sincerely. "Taking care of them, as well. Oh, and love is important, too. I think those things are much more-no, a hundred times more important than some silly dueling."

"Ha! Shows what you know!" scoffed Hokuto. "I'll admit, what you say is pretty much true. Those are pretty important things, but dueling is still everything! A lot of pride and effort is placed in dueling! It's the greatest honor, ever!"

 _'...What an idiot,'_ Mitsumi thought, displeased with his response as she put up her fake smile. "Well, good luck with that! Oh, and good luck with your investigation, too! I really hope you don't end up hurt or anything like that! Well, I shouldn't keep you waiting! I've got stuff of my own to take care of, as well! Bye!" She strolled her cart passed them, intent on finishing her groceries.

"Meh," said Hokuto, paying no more heed to her as he shrugged and walked away. Masumi glared behind her shoulder, no longer feeling any animosity towards her as she steeled her mind towards finding the culprits with the new information she received.

* * *

 _That night, after dinner..._

"Thank you for cooking yet another dinner, Mitsumi-chan," Aoi said, smiling at her granddaughter.

Mitsumi grinned, always delighted to hear her grandmother speak such kind compliments towards her as she was finishing up dinner. "It's no problem. Like I've said many times over, I enjoy cooking!"

Aoi nodded and said, "So, I hear that you've been going around, participating in official duels as a requirement to enter that new Arc League Championship. I thought you weren't interested in dueling in tournaments anymore, Mitsumi-chan?"

Mitsumi sighed, laying her chin on the table. "Of course I'm not interested. But, I decided to try, one more time, for Shuzo-sensei's sake. And, when you were gonna tell me that he already knew about who I was?"

Aoi knew what she was talking about and sighed. "To be fair, Shuzo did find out about it first by accidentally looking up your name in the Internet, which he confronted me about it, so I told him everything."

"How do you accidentally-?! Ugh, never mind!" complained Mitsumi loudly. "Even if he did 'accidentally' find out about it, why didn't you lie or something? You know how much I hate it when people discover that I'm actually a former Junior Pro Duelist!"

"I figured it was time to come clean. After all, he's not like the others, Mitsumi-chan," assured Aoi. "In fact, why don't you just come clean like I did with Shuzo and tell your friends everything? If you do, I'm sure they'll understand-"

"No, no, no, no! I can't! Grandma, you know why!" Mitsumi cried out, slamming her fists on the table. "I...I trust Yuya and the others, I really do, but what if they end up like...like those assholes? I can't risk that!"

"Mitsumi...I know for a fact that they're truly good people and would never exploit you."

"How would you know?" demanded Mitsumi. "My last so-called 'friends' said the same thing until they betrayed me with lies and exploiting me! The same thing with the other group! I can't risk it this time!"

"Mitsumi-chan, things are different this time," assured Aoi kindly. "I'm certain they won't be like those bad people from the past."

"...But I can't know that for sure," said Mitsumi. "There's a guarantee that they may or may not turn out like them. Even if they accept it now, they might change for the worst. Grandma, you and I both know that people can change, whether it's for the good or bad, and in my case, people who claim to be my 'friends' always change for the bad just to get what they want."

Aoi looked at her with a stern, but sadden expression. "Mitsumi-chan...despite your best efforts to push yourself forward to the future, you still constantly cling to the past."

"I don't, though!" denied Mitsumi, standing up. "I've moved past that, just like any other decent person! I'm no longer a Junior Pro Duelist! I've discarded any lingering strings to my past! I'm moving to the future! Soon, even if there are a few who remember, eventually, everyone will forget the former child prodigy, Mitsumi Nazuno, one of the best of the best youngest Pro Duelists to ever exist! And I want it to stay that way! What's wrong with that?!"

Aoi shook her head. "Nobody's saying that, Mitsumi-chan. I understand your frustrations very well. After your parents died, it was very hard for the first few years afterwards, but...we still managed. We stuck together because we're the only family we have remaining. And during those years, like I said, it's been hard, with the media, and constantly moving around, and the betrayals, but...I want you to be honest with yourself and your friends, Mitsumi-chan."

"...Even if I tell my friends everything about me, what makes you think they won't act just like my other so-called 'friends?'" questioned Mitsumi. "People, who claim to be my friends, only using me for their own benefits and disregarding any feelings I had for them! And, even if, there's a chance that Yuya and the others will accept my past, will they even accept the real me?"

"...You're referring to who you are right now, and not that other self you made up?" questioned Aoi.

Mitsumi nodded. "That's right. I've lied to them every single day, by having to put up the stupid and shy and sweet Mitsumi-chan that they all know and love. The Mitsumi they know is someone who's kind and sweet and would never hurt a fly. Me? The real Mitsumi? She wouldn't hesitate to squash a fly! She's foul-mouthed, sharp, quick-witted, and pretty much an _bitch."_

"I will not have you going around, calling yourself that!" snapped Aoi. "Even if you claim to be like that, you're also my sweet, kind granddaughter, the granddaughter who would do anything to make her grandmother happy. Such an evil person wouldn't dare do something like that. Mitsumi, even if they may be taken aback by your true personality, I'm sure, given time, they'll accept you for who you are."

"And if they don't?" wondered Mitsumi. "People today always have _kind_ friends. They don't associate themselves with people like me! And even if they do, it's normally because they want to use them! Just like my former friends did to me! I...Grandma, you and I both know I want Yuya, Yuzu, Gongenzaka, and everyone else to accept me, but I'm afraid! I'm scared of what'll happen! Maybe they'll hate me! Maybe they'll use me! Maybe they won't like me anymore because of who I am! I...I...!"

"Mitsumi!" hollered Aoi, standing up before coughing, forcing her to lean against the table. "You're hyperventilating! Just calm down!"

Instead of calming down, however, Mitsumi panicked when she saw the state her grandmother was in and rushed towards her, ignoring her own condition. "Grandma!"

In the end, their talk ended up in a bitter, unresolved conclusion as Mitsumi had to take her elderly, tired, and stressed out grandmother back to her own room to rest for the night. Mitsumi felt terrible, having accidentally causing her grandmother so much stress when she should have been resting before instead of having that talk with her.

Right before she left, she heard her grandmother muttering in her sleep, "Mitsumi-chan...let's visit your parents' gravestones soon...It's been so long."

Mitsumi gritted her teeth, but kept her anger to herself as she gently closed Aoi's bedroom door, careful not to slam it close, though she was visibly clutching the doorknob tightly, as though wanting to crush it in her palm. Once every few years, Mitsumi and Aoi would go visit Mitsumi's parents' gravestones at a faraway town, the town that Mitsumi used to live in, to pay their respects.

Well, at the very least, Aoi wished to pay her respects to Mitsumi's deceased parents. As for Mitsumi, if she had the option, she would never even think of visiting her parents at all, not after all they've put her through. The only reason she would visit though, was for her grandmother. She didn't want to disappoint or upset her loving grandmother, so she would visit them with her, despite having no intention of ever forgiving them. Mitsumi pretty much thanked whatever God existed that caused her parents to die, because if they were still alive, she would have had a much more miserable life than her current life right now.

 _'Grandma...I...I can't accept your words,'_ Mitsumi thought, sliding down behind her grandmother's door. _'I...I can't tell the others about me...Not if I want to relive what happened long ago...'_

What Mitsumi was referring to happened back when she was still a child, shortly after her parents' deaths. Somehow, the media got hold of her grandmother's residence and were demanding questions and answers, wondering what the "child prodigy" was going to do next, and if she was going to uphold her family legacy as the next Pro Duelist in her generation? No matter what, it seemed like they weren't going to accept her going to a normal life and wanted her to accomplish much more.

Even so, she and her grandmother avoided the press as much as they could, and Aoi enrolled Mitsumi into a private school for children her age, hoping that her granddaughter would get a better and normal childhood with friends her age. It worked for a while at first. Mitsumi got to meet classmates her age, and although she seemed hesitant and shy at first, she slowly began to warm up to them and become genuine friends with them.

Unfortunately, the media found out that she was attending a private school and was practically stalking her everyday, even at school, until the police had to intervene, but by then, it was too late. The entire school knew all about Mitsumi Nazuno, one of the most strongest dueling prodigies in her generations. It didn't take long for Mitsumi's new "friends" to change as well.

At first, it was just asking questions about her Junior Pro Dueling life, which, at first, Mitsumi didn't mind. And then, it was against dueling her that students started realizing just how skilled a Junior Pro Duelist can be. As such, while they grew admiration towards her, they also started growing greedy as well, especially her friends.

They asked for dueling lessons, which she didn't mind at first, but then her friends turned from such good people to competitive rivals, at least, in their own eyes. They thought that if they ever won against her, they'd be just as good as any Pro Duelist. But, each loss caused them to grow more frustrated and aggressive towards her, to the point where they accused her of cheating each time and even resorted to bullying as "revenge" for cheating, when Mitsumi didn't and simply used her skills to beat them each time.

This "revenge" often took the form of them sometimes stealing her lunch, destroying her schoolwork, dumping water on her, and so on. And they even had the galls to force her to come to their birthday parties, presenting her around like she was some sort of trophy, something that extremely made young Mitsumi uncomfortable. When Mitsumi tried to refuse their demands each time, her friends would grow only more angry, and one day, she discovered that they've been secretly stealing her cards, which was the final straw for her as she now got the teachers and her grandmother involved. Before, she didn't want to tell anyone because she didn't want to be seen as a tattletale and lose her friends, but now she couldn't take it anymore.

Her former friends, now classified as bullies in her opinion, were heavily punished and forced to pay for their actions, including giving back her cards, but it was too late for Mitsumi as she no longer viewed them as friends. As revenge, they started spreading terrible rumors about her, causing many students to hate her and constantly tease and bully her. The new bullying, combined with schoolwork, escaping the media, and helping out her grandmother, was too much for Mitsumi; something her grandmother noticed. As such, she had her granddaughter pulled out of the school, and the two of them moved out of town, never to be heard from again.

To fully escape the media, both Nazunos fled and moved in and out of many places until they were certain they reached a faraway place where nobody could disturb them again. It was a quiet, peaceful town, and for a few years, everything was alright. Aoi got herself a decent, paying job, and Mitsumi happily attended a new school life with new friends.

It wasn't until Mitsumi made a horrible mistake that caused major consequences for her and her grandmother.

Mitsumi decided that since she was really close to her friends, perhaps it was okay to tell them that she used to be a former Junior Pro Duelist. As such, she told them everything, and much to her joy, they accepted and were quite excited that she used to be such a skilled duelist.

Excited in a bad way, that is.

The results were the same like last time, except this group of friends were far more demanding and manipulative, wanting to know more about her skills so they could exploit her weaknesses and use them against her. Luckily for Mitsumi, like one of the many lessons engraved in her mind, she's been taught how to use even her own weaknesses to her strengths by her parents, so that plan didn't really work out for her "friends."

It didn't stop there at all. Soon, new classmates came up to Mitsumi, wanting to be her "friend," but Mitsumi, being young and oblivious, didn't realize their intent of simply using her until it was too late. When Mitsumi realized that nobody at school was her friend, she also realized it was her own fault because now, nobody wanted to be her friend simply for friendship, but because they wanted to use her for their own selfish purposes.

In that response, the people at her school were no different than the manipulative people she encountered during her Junior Pro Duelist days.

Those sort of people tend to exploit other Pro Duelists, using their high status for profit, like merchandise, autograph signings, interviews, fan clubs, TV shows, and so forth. Mitsumi was actually forced to participate in some of those by her parents simply for more entertainment, money, and to raise the family's reputation. In each event, Mitsumi had found herself uncomfortable, unease, and wanting to escape each event as soon as possible because she was often in events with unfamiliar strangers who asked her personal questions and trying to lie with their own compliments and false praises. This happened to be one of the main reasons why Mitsumi quit as a Junior Pro Duelist.

In her earlier days of childhood, Mitsumi had experienced only a small bit of happiness, before that happiness was snatched away and replaced with her experiencing and witnessing the darker, manipulative sides of people, causing her to grow up quite cold and manipulative as well. She truly wanted friends who would stick to her side and not toss that friendship away for profit and their own selfish goals, not what she experienced so terribly.

After moving away once again, Mitsumi and her grandmother ended up in Maiami City, living there permanently ever since the last couple of years. This time, Mitsumi decided she wouldn't make the same mistake twice. At first, it wasn't hard to maintain a shy and polite personality, because she originally had that personality even during her Junior Pro Dueling days, but it had changed throughout the years until she retained it back when she first met Yuya and the others. It was all for the sake of creating a façade so that her new group of friends wouldn't abandon nor use her like her "bullies" did.

It worked out well afterwards. They accepted her into their circle of friends, and the past few years, every single day was full of happiness. Yes, there were hardships, and there were days when Mitsumi grew frustrated enough to want to throw away her shy and sweet façade, but every time she thought of doing so, she would constantly be reminded of her painful past and keep the mask on. The frustration she felt during those times was nothing compared to the harsh pain she experienced from the pain, and she didn't want to experience that a third time.

Sure, she had to constantly take care of a lot of housework and her grandmother a lot of times, and thankfully, her friends were understanding of her situation, but Mitsumi didn't want to distance herself from her friends. As much as she could, she spent time with them, helping Yuya with his homework and taking care of his pets, learning music with Yuzu, and even participating in morning jogs with Gongenzaka. Those peaceful days were the best, and even grew more eventful when she joined the You Show Duel School.

Technically, Mitsumi didn't even want to join a dueling school, only doing so because her friends were in that specific school and she wanted to hang out with them. But, by doing so, she met other kind people she could call her friends, like Shuzo, Ayu, and Futoshi, and now Sora and Tatsuya as well, though she is a bit weary towards Sora, especially for what he said during the whole three-way duel between You Show Duel School and LDS.

At school though, not the dueling school, but Maiami Second Middle School, things were much more different, and her friends remained the same as ever. However, over the years, it's been noted several times that Mitsumi herself has been growing more beautiful, elegant, and stronger, thus resulting in her gaining a fan club, and a lot of unwanted attention. She never wished for it, but she unwillingly became one of, if not, the most, popular and beautiful girl in school.

Because of that reputation, though, Mitsumi has gained a bit of enemies within the school, specifically female bullies, who were jealous of her good grades and looks. She tended to get bullied a lot, but she always managed to hide that fact from her friends and grandmother, because she didn't want to cause trouble nor move again. At the very least, nobody knew about her former status as a Junior Pro Duelist, or she would have had a lot more attention than ever, and she didn't want to repeat what happened in the past a third time now.

Shingo Sawatari was another one of-actually, possibly her biggest fan, and more importantly, also happened to be her savior most of the time she's been bullied. Technically, he also bullies her as well, but it's more of a teasing kind than any physically bullying than what the female bullies do. He always wanting her to be his girlfriend, an offer that Mitsumi had rejected as kindly as possible over and over throughout the years. There were days, just like earlier today, where she wanted to strangle him and be done with it, but, no, she still had to keep up the façade. Besides, he wasn't that bad, just overly annoying in her opinion.

Additionally, to make absolute certain that nothing from her past comes up, she saved up enough money to buy herself a new WATER Attribute deck, while storing away her old deck, the one she used as a former Junior Pro Duelist. If there was one of the few good things she had in her former life, it was that she enjoyed playing with a WATER Attribute deck. She wanted to make herself seem like the weakest duelist in her group of friends, and as such, because Ritual Summoning wasn't that popular, she bought a WATER Ritual deck, specifically a Gishki deck. As a result, she lost most of her duels from thereon, but she didn't really care about the losses, finding friendship more important than dueling.

All Mitsumi wanted to do...was have a peaceful life. Forget what happened in the past, and move forward with the friends she has, without them knowing about her past. She wanted to get a good job, fall in love, get married, have a family, anything to keep her peaceful life, even if it meant keeping her shy and sweet fake personality all the time when she really wanted to let loose her true personality without holding anything back.

Admittingly, there were times when Mitsumi just wanted to sit her friends down and tell them everything about her past and why she lied a lot throughout the years, but at the same time, even if there was a small chance, she didn't want to risk turning her good-natured and kind friends into greedy and corrupted people like her previous "friends" used to be. This would be the third time if it actually happened, and despite Mitsumi wanting to give it a chance, she found herself too afraid of the consequences.

Sighing, Mitsumi stood up and headed towards her room to get ready for bed. It was just going to be another day, where tomorrow, her final, official duel would determine her standing in the tournament. Honestly, Mitsumi shocked herself when she found herself actually being close to meeting the qualifications for entering the tournament, as she just planned to wing it and try her best until she lost a duel. She never planned on winning the tournament, so if it came down to it, she would probably just surrender or purposely lose if she ever made it to the finals. The only reason she entered was because Shuzo requested and pleaded for her to.

With one last sigh, Mitsumi turned off the lights once she finished preparing herself and tucked herself to sleep. Hopefully, tomorrow won't be too...crazy.

* * *

 **Finished! I guess this is much more explanatory for Mitsumi's behavior and why she doesn't want to tell the others about her past life! Read and review!**


	20. Maiden Marathon

**Glad to see you guys were a lot more understanding towards Mitsumi's predicament and problems! Just to clarify with you guys, Mitsumi's true self has already been revealed. It's just in her thoughts, like, her true self really wants to punch Shingo, or she really wants to say bad things out loud, or she likes to point out the obvious, like how Yuto and Yuya don't even look alike. Well, that's all from me right now, so enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!**

* * *

"Smiley, you're such a pervert."

"Wha-?! How can you accuse me of such a thing?!"

"Because we're standing in front of a _maid café,_ you idiot!"

It was true; both Mitsumi and Nico were in front of a maid café called Éclair de Lux, the most famous maid café in Maiami City. They served a variety of desserts and other dishes, with their most famous desert being the incredible eclairs. Unlike most other maid cafes and butler cafes, the employees were given the option of wearing either a butler or maid outfit, no matter what gender they were, which was part of how the maid café was so popular. That, and it mostly consisted of female employees that customers viewed the maid-wearing ones cute, and the butler-wearing ones cool-looking and beautiful.

"Wait, wait! I know what this looks like, but it's much more than that!" cried out Nico, cringing at the disgusted, sharp glare Mitsumi was giving him. "This is also actually a Duel School, as well!"

"...What."

"I'm serious! This is where your last, official duel is supposed to take place! Look, they may look like a maid café-"

"It IS a maid café."

"Right, it is a maid café, but it also functions as a Duel School, as well. In fact, this school is basically the sister version of the Cuisine Duel School! But, at the same time, it's also the rival school for that duel school."

"That's right!~"

Both of them turned and saw an older teen with long, blond hair, wearing a neko eared headband that matched the color of her hair. Like all of the other female employees, she was wearing a maid outfit and bowed her head to the two customers with a bright, cheerful smile on her face.

"Welcome to Éclair de Lux! How may I serve you?"

Seeing the dazed expression on Nico's face, Mitsumi nudged him quite roughly with her arm. "Psst! Smiley! Wipe that drool off your face!"

"W-What? Oh, how unprofessional of me! My apologies!" exclaimed Nico, snapping out of it. "We're here for the official duel that's scheduled to take place soon, and this here is Mitsumi Nazuno, the opponent chosen for the official duel."

"Oh, my!~ So, you're Mitsumi-chan? It's so nice to meet you!" squealed the maid, grabbing her arms and shaking them up and down. "I'm Karis, the head maid of this café and your opponent! I can't wait to duel such a cutie like you!~"

"Y-yeah...nice to meet you, too," said Mitsumi, sheepishly grinning. _'Please tell me that I don't have to dress up just like in my last duel!'_

"Moreover, you have the option of dressing up as a maid or a butler during our duel! I do hope you pick the cute maid option!~"

 _'LIKE HELL!'_ thought Mitsumi, horrified as her face turned tomato-colored red. She wouldn't want to be caught dead in such an outfit!

"Oh, Mitsumi-chan, why don't you?"

"What the-?! Grandma?!" exclaimed Mitsumi, who didn't expect Aoi to walk up to her out of nowhere. "What are you doing here?! And aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Dear, it's my day off, so I can enjoy it however I like," replied Aoi, smiling.

 _'Oh, right. I kinda forgot that today is her day off,'_ Mitsumi thought, sweatdropping. "Well, what are you doing near the café, anyways?"

"Well, I've never been to a maid café, before, so I wanted to go and visit one for myself, and imagine my surprise when I found you and Mr. Smiley here," replied Aoi, giggling. "My, my, Mitsumi-chan, if you wanted to employ here, you should have asked me beforehand."

"W-What?! No, no, no! I'm not here for that!" assured Mitsumi. "It's just for a duel, after all!"

"Hmm...Are you sure? You are pretty cute and petite, so you'd look fantastic as one of our maids!~" cooed Karis.

"Nope, nope, nope, nope! Not gonna happen! Now, let's just duel!"

Karis nodded. "Alright, then! But before we do, you simply _must_ wear one of the cute outfits, so choose your pick! Maid or butler?"

Mitsumi gave Nico a look that pleaded, _"HELP ME!"_ Instead, the announcer/dueling manager shook his head and said, "Hey, I'm only in charge of arranging official duels and bringing commentary and information to the duels! I don't make up the conditions made up by an official Duel School! If you want to win this official duel, then I'm afraid you'll have to comply to their conditions."

 _'Goddamnit,'_ Mitsumi thought. _'Wait, I can always just refuse! Yeah! If I refuse, then I automatically lose this duel! And, I won't have to participate in this stupid tournament, anymore! I'll just tell the others that because of the unfair conditions of this duel, they disqualified me! Yeah! It's a win-win situation for me!'_

As though sensing what she was thinking, Aoi walked up to Mitsumi and clasped her hands into her granddaughter's. "Mitsumi-chan...I really do hope you'll pick a good outfit for this duel. It's not everyday that I get to see my dearly little granddaughter dress up so cutely!~ So, you'll dress up nicely for your dear, sweet, grandmother, won't you, Mitsumi-chan?" Aoi strangely and creepily leaned in close to Mitsumi's face the more she spoke, effectively freaking her out.

 _'...Oh, yeah. I totally got my manipulative skills from her,'_ Mitsumi thought. _'Damnit! I can't deny Grandma anything! One weakness of mine is that I constantly have to obey her wishes, no matter what! Gaah! Fine, damnit! I'll wear the stupid outfit! But, I'm not wearing any maid costume! The skirts are WAY too short, for one!'_

"Alright, alright! I'll take the butler outfit," said Mitsumi, only taking it because it covers much more skin than the maid outfit. "And-Grandma, what are you doing?"

"Hmm? Oh, I just called your friends. They're watching Yuya-kun and Gongenzaka-kun's duel right now, so they promised to be here as soon as possible to watch your duel!~"

"...Why would you tell them that?!" exclaimed Mitsumi, horrified. It was one thing to wear one of the outfits, but to have her friends watching her duel inside a maid café while wearing said outfit? Utterly embarrassing!

"Oh, I just want you to hang out with your friends more. They seem really excited and happy to watch you duel," replied Aoi, smiling.

"...Get me to the dressing room, now!" Mitsumi demanded to Karis, who was too eager to argue back and wanted to happily see the girl in a butler outfit.

* * *

 _A few minutes later..._

The inside of the Éclair de Lux café was much larger than Mitsumi anticipated, which makes sense, given that the café was also meant to be a Duel School as well. After Mitsumi hurriedly dressed herself up, much to her disgruntle, she was escorted to the largest room the café has to offer, which resembled a large arena with the audience mostly consisting of customers, including Nico and Aoi.

Karis entered into the arena, though her attire was a little bit different than her maid outfit. She still wore a maid outfit, but the skirt's length was much longer and she wore white stockings, and she had draconic eared headband attached to her head. For some odd reason, she chose to exchange the cute neko headband for this particular headband.

As for Mitsumi, while she chose not to wear the maid outfit, she still had to choose the other option, which was a butler's outfit. Her butler outfit had no skirt nor showed any sort of cleavage, much to her relief, however, she still caused a bit of attention towards her. Because her long hair might get in the way, she tied it in a ponytail with a ribbon she found in the dressing room, and now her new hairstyle, along with her outfit and her refined looks, made her look like a sharp, cool-looking battle butler.

"Wow! You really look cool! You know, I think I prefer you like this than with the maid outfit!~" cooed Karis. "Oh, and if possible, I'd like you to act like a butler, too! It's nothing too much trouble! All you have to do is be polite and elegant and say things like, 'Master' or 'Mistress!'"

Mitsumi didn't really have a problem acting out the polite and elegant roles, but going so far as to say, "Master" or "Mistress" was a bit too much for her. However, when she saw the nod coming from her grandmother from the audience, Mitsumi internally groaned, knowing she might have to act on that in order to make her grandmother happy.

Stuffing down her internal feelings, Mitsumi turned around and kneeled down on one knee, bowing her head as she politely spoke, "Of course, head maid Karis-san. I shall live up to your expectations."

The audience awed and cheered at Mitsumi's first impression of being a maid. Although Mitsumi herself thought nothing of it, she had unknowingly incorporated her etiquette skills into her first impression, something she learned from various harsh lessons from her parents when she was still a Junior Pro Duelist. As a result, the audience was star-struck at how elegant, yet calming her posture and alluring words were.

Even Karis was stunned, until she snapped out it herself and proclaimed, "Alright! That's the spirit! Wow, what a great first impression! Now, let's get this duel started!"

Both girls stood up straight and nodded to each other, activating their duel disks to signal the start of their duel. In the meantime, the audience began to chant the Action Field incantation for the two female opponents.

"Duelists locked in battle! Kicking the earth and dancing in the air alongside their Monsters! They storm through this field! Behold! This is the newest and greatest evolution of dueling! ACTTTIOOOOON-!"

"DUEL!"

 **\- DUEL -**

 **Mitsumi - 4000 LP**

 **VS**

 **Karis - 4000 LP**

The Action Field was like the combination of the inside of a large mansion and a tea party all inside the one large area the two girls were standing on. Etiquette wares were displayed all over the place, elegant and beautiful paintings all around, and even a kitchen was included, so in many ways, this appeared more of a tea party inside a mansion than a regular Action Field.

"As head maid, I shall allow you to take the first command, Mitsumi-chan," said Karis happily.

Remembering her role as a butler, Mitsumi bowed her head in courtesy. "You honor me, head maid Karis-san. I shall go first. From my hand, I activate the Ritual Spell, Gishki Aquamirror, and Tribute both Gishki Noellia and Gishki Abyss from my hand in order to Ritual Summon the Level 6 Ritual Monster, Evigishki Gustkraken!"

Evigishki Gustkraken - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV6 - (2400/1000)

"When this Monster is Ritual Summoned, I can up look to 2 random cards in my opponent's hand, and then shuffle one of them into the deck." Mitsumi pointed to the two cards on Karis' hand that she wanted to see, and although she didn't recognize one of them, she did recognize the other card. "I command you to shuffle Mirror Force back into your deck!"

"Awww! I was hoping you wouldn't pick that one!" pouted Karis as she did as Mitsumi ordered.

"...I set a card and end my turn."

"Then, it's my turn!" said Karis. "From my hand, I summon Chamber Dragonmaid to the field!"

Chamber Dragonmaid - (DARK/Dragon) - LV4 - (500/1800)

"And, when she's Normal or Special Summoned, I get to add 1 Dragonmaid Spell/Trap from my deck to my hand! I choose Dragonmaid Welcome! And now, I enter the Battle Phase!"

 _'Huh? She's entering the Battle Phase even though her Monster's weaker than mine? Her Monster must have some special ability to make up for her lack of Attack Points,'_ Mitsumi thought, suspiciously.

"I now activate Chamber's effect! At the start of the Battle Phase, I can return her from the field to my hand, and then, I get to Special Summon 1 Level 7 or higher Dragonmaid Monster from my hand or Graveyard! I choose to Special Summon Dragonmaid Ernus!"

Dragonmaid Ernus - (EARTH/Dragon) - LV7 - (2600/1600)

"And now, I attack your Ritual Monster with my Ernus!"

 _'Okay, the first Monster, I could get why she's a Dragonmaid, but this Monster doesn't even remotely look like a maid!'_ thought Mitsumi before shaking her head. _'No, what am I thinking?! The appearance isn't important! What's more important is the fact that her Monster is much more stronger than mine! I need an Action Card!'_

Mitsumi glanced around and started running, trying to take in her surroundings and search for an Action Card. However, because she was unfamiliar with the Action Spell, and due to numerous obstacles in her path, she not only couldn't find an Action Card, but she ended up knocking over a vase, thus causing it to crash and fall. Mitsumi didn't pay too much heed to it, until an Action Trap appeared in front of her, penalizing her.

 **Mitsumi - 3000 LP**

 **Karis - 4000 LP**

"Action Trap, Consequence Correction," explained Karis. "You lose 1000 Life Points."

In addition to the Action Trap, Ernus finally overpowered Mitsumi's Ritual Monster, Gustkraken, and obliterated her with a dragon's breath, flying back to her mistress' side with a confident expression.

 **Mitsumi - 2800 LP**

 **Karis - 4000 LP**

"Wait, wait, wait! How did I trigger the Action Trap? I didn't even pick up an Action Card!" said Mitsumi.

"It's quite simple, really," said Karis. "Unlike most other Action Fields, this one is just one of the few, special, rare kinds where it'll take more than just picking up an Action Card in order to play it. Well, technically, in this Action Field, you don't need to pick up Action Cards. Instead, your actions determine what kind of Action Card you'll get."

"Could you elaborate?"

"Certainly! In this Action Field, Elegant Hearth, the methods to receiving an Action Card are quite different than simply picking one up off the floor. Instead, you must perform your duties and follow the rules that a servant should always do. For example, watch me pour this cup of tea." She strolled over to a small table and gently tipped the teapot over to the edge of a cup of tea, pouring elegantly into the tea cup until it was halfway full before stopping.

Mitsumi was surprised to see an Action Card pop up, revealing what kind it was. "Action Card, Refreshment Reward...Lets you gain 500 Life Points?"

 **Mitsumi - 2800 LP**

 **Karis - 4500 LP**

"Exactly!" said Karis. "As a servant, you must always follow the house rules and perform your duties perfectly! You can come across many tasks around this Action Field, and if you succeed, then you may get a reward in the form of an Action Spell! However, if you fail that task, or if you break a house rule, like when you broke that vase earlier, you'll be penalized with an Action Trap!"

 _'I see, it makes more sense now,'_ thought Mitsumi. _'I should be really careful. But, if she said that I have to follow house rules, too, then technically, when I ran earlier, I should have already received an Action Trap. Does that mean running in the area is permitted because this is an Action Field? If so, then I'll take advantage of that!'_

"Impressed?" asked Karis happily. "We also use this Action Field for training to perform our etiquette skills to the maximum! And now, I activate the Continuous Spell, Dragonmaid Welcome! All Monsters I control gain 100 extra Attack and Defense Points for each Dragonmaid I control! I control only 1 so far, so she gains 100 extra Attack and Defense Points!"

Dragonmaid Ernus - (EARTH/Dragon) - LV7 - (2700/1700)

"I'll end my turn with that!"

"I draw!" said Mitsumi. "...I end my turn."

"What a shame. Then again, I suppose I can't blame you since you only have 1 card in your hand," sighed Karis. "Draw! I set a card, and then summon Laundry Dragonmaid!"

Laundry Dragonmaid - (WATER/Dragon) - LV2 - (500/1600)

"When she's Normal or Special Summoned, I can send the top three cards of my deck to the Graveyard. I now head over to the Battle Phase and activate Laundry's effect! At the start of the Battle Phase, I can return her from my field to my hand, and if I do, I get to Special Summon a Level 7 Dragonmaid Monster from my hand or Graveyard! I Special Summon Dragonmaid Nudyarl!"

Dragonmaid Nudyarl - (WATER/Dragon) - LV7 - (2600/1600)

"Because of Dragonmaid Welcome, both my Monsters gain 100 extra Attack and Defense Points for each Dragonmaid Monster I control, and since there are 2, that's 200 extra for both of them!"

Dragonmaid Ernus - (EARTH/Dragon) - LV7 - (2800/1800)

Dragonmaid Nudyarl - (WATER/Dragon) - LV7 - (2800/1800)

"And now, I'll attack you directly with Ernus! It's over!" exclaimed Karis, watching Mitsumi heading towards the kitchen, specifically the kitchen sink.

As strange as it may be during an duel, Mitsumi rolled up her sleeves, took off her butler gloves and replaced them with kitchen gloves before proceeding to wash the dishes. In normal cases, this would be weird, but because this was a special Action Field that required tasks to be completed in order to obtain Action Cards, Mitsumi was doing just that to fulfil the necessary conditions.

"I activate my facedown card!" called out Mitsumi, pausing her dish washing activity to activate her card. "Aquamirror Illusion! I now Special Summon 1 Gishki Ritual Monster from my hand! It cannot attack, and it's returned to my hand at the end of the Battle Phase! I Special Summon Gishki Zielgigas!"

Gishki Zielgigas - (WATER/Aqua/Ritual) - LV10 - (3200/0)

Karis' eyes widened. "Ernus, wai-!"

Unfortunately for her, Ernus, who had been charging up an earth elemental dragon's breath, fired at the last second. Gishki Zielgigas raised up his hands to deflect the dragon's breath before opening his palms out and wide, firing out four geysers of water that destroyed the powerful dragon.

 **Mitsumi - 2800 LP**

 **Karis - 4100 LP**

While on her last plate, Mitsumi looked up at Karis and asked, "Would you like to continue the Battle Phase, Karis-san?"

"...No, I'll end the Battle Phase," sighed Karis, shaking her head in defeat, knowing she couldn't do anything to harm Zielgigas, even if he was only temporarily on the field thanks to Mitsumi's previously used card.

Placing the last, clean plate onto the dish rack to dry, Mitsumi proceeded to dry her hands with a nearby towel before putting her butler gloves back. The moment she completed her task, an Action Card appeared before her very eyes. "Action Card, Menial Measure! According to this, I get to choose 1 Monster you control and reduce that Monster's Attack Points to 0, and you cannot change the Attack Points. It looks like you can't use Dragonmaid Welcome on her, then!"

Dragonmaid Nudyarl - (WATER/Dragon) - LV7 - (0/1800)

Karis grinned. "Oh, really? I activate Nudyarl's effect! At the end of the Battle Phase, I can return her from the field to my hand in order to Special Summon 1 Level 3 Dragonmaid Monster from my hand! I Special Summon Nurse Dragonmaid from my hand!"

Nurse Dragonmaid - (EARTH/Dragon) - LV2 - (500/1600)

"And when she's Normal or Special Summoned, I get to target 1 Level 4 or lower Dragonmaid from my Graveyard and Special Summon that Monster! I Special Summon Chamber Dragonmaid to the field in Defense Mode!"

Chamber Dragonmaid - (DARK/Dragon) - LV4 - (500/1800)

"Wait, when was she in your Graveyard? I thought you returned her to your hand to Special Summon that Ernus Monster!" cried out Mitsumi.

"You're not wrong. In fact, there's a copy of her in my hand right now," said Karis. "But do you remember Laundry Dragonmaid's effect? When she was first summoned, she had me discard the top three cards into my Graveyard, and one of them happened to be another Chamber Dragonmaid, so I took advantage of that knowledge! And now, I activate Chamber's effect! When she's Normal or Special Summoned, I get to add 1 Dragonmaid Spell/Trap from my deck to my hand! I add Dragonmaid Changeover to my hand! And now, Dragonmaid Welcome's effect activates, giving my two Dragonmaids 200 extra Attack and Defense Points!"

Nurse Dragonmaid - (EARTH/Dragon) - LV2 - (700/1700)

Chamber Dragonmaid - (DARK/Dragon) - LV4 - (700/2000)

"Now I will activate Dragonmaid Changeover! I Fusion Summon using Monsters on my field or hand to Fusion Summon a Dragon-Type Monster from my Extra Deck! I fuse the Nudyarl from my hand with Nurse Dragonmaid on my field in order to Fusion Summon Dragonmaid Strahl, my most powerful Monster!"

Dragonmaid Strahl - (LIGHT/Dragon/Fusion) - LV10 - (3500/2000)

 _'She Fusion Summoned her most powerful Monster so easily in a few turns?!'_ thought Mitsumi, hastily taking out a cloth rag to dry the clean dishes in order to obtain an Action Card. _'Luckily for me, the Battle Phase is over, but I need to come up with something, quick!'_

"There's something else you should know!" called out Karis. "I activate Dragonmaid Changeover's effect from my Graveyard! I target 1 Dragonmaid I control, add Dragonmaid Changeover back to my hand, and if I do, I get to return that Dragonmaid Monster back to my hand! I return not only the Fusion Spell card, but also Chamber Dragonmaid back to my hand!'

Halfway finished, Mitsumi thought, _'Great, and now she not only has a potential Fusion-Material Monster back to her hand, but that Spell that lets her Fusion Summon as well! Who knows what other Fusion Monsters she has in stock?'_

"Now, Dragonmaid Welcome's effect activates, granting Strahl 100 extra Attack and Defense Points!"

Dragonmaid Strahl - (LIGHT/Dragon/Fusion) - LV10 - (3600/2100)

"I end my turn with that."

"And with the turn now over, Gishki Zielgigas returns to my hand," said Mitsumi, leaving her field devoid of any cards.

Just as Karis finished her turn, Mitsumi finished drying the sparkling clean dishes before she drew her card. "My turn, draw!" At that moment, upon the completion of yet another task, another Action Card appeared before her, allowing her to activate it. "I activate the Action Spell, Hardworking Harvest! Now, I get to draw three additional cards! I activate the effect of Swap Frog from my hand! I discard 1 WATER Monster from my hand in order to Special Summon him! I discard Gishki Zielgigas"

Swap Frog - (WATER/Aqua) - LV2 - (1000/500)

"Next, when this card is summoned, I get to send 1 Level 2 or lower Aqua-Type Monster from my deck or field to the Graveyard. I choose to send Gishki Reliever from my deck to the Graveyard! And now, I summon from my hand Gishki Abyss!"

Gishki Abyss - (WATER/Fish) - LV2 - (800/500)

"When he's summoned, I get to add a Gishki Monster with 1000 or less Defense Points from my deck to my hand. I add Gishki Mollusk to my hand! And now, I Overlay my two Level 2 WATER Monsters to build the Overlay Network! I XYZ Summon Rank 2! Cat Shark! In Defense Mode!"

Cat Shark - (WATER/Beast/XYZ) - Rank 2 - (500/500)

"I set a card and end my turn."

"My turn, draw!" said Karis, heading towards a messy bookshelf. "I summon from my hand, Parlor Dragonmaid!"

Parlor Dragonmaid - (WIND/Dragon) - LV3 - (500/1700)

"And now, Dragonmaid Welcome's effect activates! For every Dragonmaid monster I control, they gain 100 extra Attack and Defense Points each! Now, there's two, so now, they gains 200 extra Attack and Defense Points!"

Dragonmaid Strahl - (LIGHT/Dragon/Fusion) - LV10 - (3700/2200)

Parlor Dragonmaid - (WIND/Dragon) - LV3 - (700/1900)

"I attack!" declared Karis. "Parlor Dragonmaid, destroy her Cat Shark!"

 _'Judging from her actions, I'd say that she doesn't have one of those high leveled Dragonmaid Monsters, otherwise, she would have already used the effect from Parlor. Or, maybe she thinks that she'll be able to finish me off this turn, so there's no point Fusion Summoning another, stronger Monster,'_ thought Mitsumi, taking a bowl of fruit from the kitchen and proceeding to wash the fruit to disinfect any germs. Allowing the sink's water to wash over the fruit, Mitsumi focused back on the battle. "I activate my Trap, Wall of Disruption! When you declare an attack, all Monsters you control in Attack Mode loses 800 Attack Points for every one."

"Not so fast!" said Karis. "I activate my Continuous Trap, Dragonmaid Downtime! I target 1 Dragonmaid Monster I control and activate one of the effects specified on my Trap card! I activate the second effect! I return Parlor Dragonmaid to my hand in order to return 1 Spell/Trap you control back to your hand!"

Mitsumi turned off the sink water in time to catch her Wall of Disruption card just as Parlor Dragonmaid returned to Karis' hand. Karis was busy rearranging the books near the messy bookshelf and proceeded to continue her Battle Phase.

"And because of Dragonmaid Welcome, Strahl only gains 100 extra Attack and Defense Points."

Dragonmaid Strahl - (LIGHT/Dragon/Fusion) - LV10 - (3600/2100)

"Battle! I continue the attack with Strahl!"

"At this time, I activate Cat Shark's effect!" shouted Mitsumi, who was cleaning up the fruit with the stored up sink water. "When he has an XYZ Material that's originally WATER Attribute, he can't be destroyed in battle!'

"Then, I activate Dragonmaid Strahl's effect!" declared Karis. "When my opponent activates a card or effect, I can negate the activation, and if I do, destroy that card, so Cat Shark is destroyed!"

With that declaration, Strahl flapped her wings to release a sparkling coating effect that covered Cat Shark, destroying him upon making contact before the Fusion Dragon Monster vanished into Karis' Extra Deck.

"Strahl has another effect. After negating the activation and destroying your card, she has to return to my Extra Deck. However, when that happens, I get to Special Summon House Dragonmaid from my Extra Deck!"

House Dragonmaid - (LIGHT/Dragon/Fusion) - LV9 - (3000/2000)

 _'Another Fusion Monster? Terrific,'_ thought Mitsumi.

"And because of the Continuous Spell, Dragonmaid Welcome, she gains 100 extra Attack and Defense Points!"

House Dragonmaid - (LIGHT/Dragon/Fusion) - LV9 - (3100/2100)

"I continue the attack!" said Karis, watching as her Dragon-Type Monster began to charge up an energy ball within her draconic claws.

Mitsumi finished cleaning the rest of the fruits in time right before House Dragonmaid fired the energy ball at Mitsumi, causing a bit of an explosion. Just when Karis thought she had won the duel, she was dumbfounded to see Mitsumi still standing.

 **Mitsumi - 1250 LP**

 **Karis - 2550 LP**

"But how?! And how did I lose Life Points in the process?"

"It's because...Right now, after I finished my task, an Action Card saved me," panted Mitsumi, brushing the dust off her butler clothes. "I activated Equivalent Exchange, which halves all Battle Damage from one Monster's attack and transfer half of that damage to you, Karis-san."

"But that's not fair! I didn't even deserve to get punished!" pouted Karis, crossing her arms and stomping her foot like a child.

"Should a head maid really act childish when it's her duty to see things through to the end?" asked Mitsumi, slightly amused.

"...Fine! I end my turn!"

"My turn!" said Mitsumi, drawing her card. "I summon from my hand, Abyss Soldier!"

Abyss Soldier - (WATER/Aqua) - LV4 - (1800/1300)

"And now I activate his effect! I discard 1 WATER Monster from my hand to the Graveyard in order to return 1 card you control back to the hand! I discard Gishki Mollusk to return House Dragonmaid back to your hand, though technically, because she's a Fusion Monster, she must return to the Extra Deck!"

Karis clicked her tongue in frustration as House Dragonmaid was forced to return back to her Extra Deck in a bright light.

"And now, Gishki Mollusk's effect activates! When he's sent to the Graveyard through a card effect, I can look at the top 3 cards of my deck and then return them all to either the top of bottom of my deck!" After drawing and examining the three cards, Mitsumi decided to return them back to the bottom of her deck. "And now, I activate Gishki Vision's effect from my hand! I discard him in order to add a Gishki Ritual Monster from my deck to my hand! I add Gishki Psychelone to my hand! I now activate Gishki Aquamirror from my hand and Tribute Abyss Soldier on the field in order to Ritual Summon Gishki Psychelone!"

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (2150/1650)

Karis sighed in relief before smirking. "Ha! So, even if I lose a lot of Life Points, I'll still be safe and I'll be able to Fusion Summon next turn!"

"Don't assume things until you see them through. I thought all maids, including the head maid, were supposed to know something as simple as that? A task isn't completed until you finish it yourself," advised Mitsumi. "I activate the Equip Spell, Ritual Weapon, and equip it onto my Ritual Monster, Gishki Psychelone! Now, she gains 1500 extra Attack and Defense Points!"

Gishki Psychelone - (WATER/Fiend/Ritual) - LV4 - (3650/3150)

"Oh, no!"

"Gishki Psychelone, attack her directly! Finish this!"

Gishki Psychelone, armed with her newly equipped magical crossbow, took aim at Karis, and, combining with her own water magic, created a water arrow before firing off her water-enhanced arrow from the crossbow, shooting Karis and depleting the last of her Life Points.

 **Mitsumi - 1250 LP**

 **Karis - 0 LP**

 **Winner: Mitsumi**

The audience howled and cheered, applauding for a magnificent performance between the two. Mitsumi watched as Karis was rolling around, throwing a mini, childish tantrum as she sweatdropped.

 _'I won? I seriously won? Oh crap, that means that I'm pretty much qualified to enter the next stage of the tournament. ...Great,'_ thought Mitsumi with an annoyed look. _'On the bright side, I'll just wing it. It's not like it matters if I win or lose, not that I plan on winning the tournament, of course.'_

"Wow, you did absolutely amazing, Mitsumi-chan!" exclaimed Karis, rushing up to her and shaking her arms up and down with childish excitement written all over her face.

"Er...thanks? I mean, thank you very much, head maid Karis-san!" said Mitsumi politely. "But, you were much more amazing than I was! I still have...a long ways to go before I'm just as good as you and any other strong duelist!"

Karis shook her head. "No, no! You're quite excellent the way you are right now, Mitsumi-chan! Although, I do admit, you can improve! But right now, you were elegant, cool, calm, and beautiful during that duel! The way you commanded with your voice that resounded and sounded both clear and professional during the Battle Phases, your effective and swift method of performing each task perfectly, and your determined and unbending stance all while standing strong and beautiful! Kya!~ I can't help but admire you! How'd you do it, anyways? It's like you were trained to be a Pro Duelist!"

A pained expression flashed onto Mitsumi's face for a second before she covered it up with a fake soft and gentle smile as she bowed her head, if only to hide her pain within. "No, no. I still have much to improve. I was just lucky, like extremely lucky this time, but I'll be sure to improve in the future."

Karis grinned. "See that you do!"

Yeah, no way was Mitsumi ever going to tell someone she just met for the first time today about her dark backstory. The only reason why she was able to perform so elegantly with etiquette skills was because, this was yet another one of the things drilled into her head thanks to her parents. They wanted her not only to win duels as a Pro Duelist, but to be a proper, mature, and respectful duelist as well, hence the harsh etiquette skills that would probably forever be engraved into her as part of muscle memory. Compared to her secret of being a Pro Duelist, Mitsumi actually had no problems exposing her etiquette, elegant skills. In a harmless way, she, too, also wanted to be a proper, mature, and respectful person, but not in the way her parents envisioned, at least, not using abusive methods.

"Mitsumi!"

Recognizing the voice, Mitsumi turned around and saw not just her grandmother, but Yuya, Yuzu, Gongenzaka, Sora, Shuzo, Yoko, Nico, Tatsuya, Futoshi, and Ayu all in one big group heading towards her. Mitsumi mentally gasped in horror as she just now remembered that before the duel, Aoi called her friends to let them know of her duel. She had been so focused on the duel, she completely forgot about that fact!

"H-Hello, everyone!" said Mitsumi, walking towards them and trying to stay calm. "How long have you guys been here? ...And how long were you watching?"

"The whole time!" said Shuzo excitedly. "We actually arrived before your duel, but Aoi said to keep our arrival a secret and for us to remain quiet during the duel for some reason!"

Mitsumi whirled towards her grandmother, who chuckled and mischievously smirked at her granddaughter, revealing her devious side to Mitsumi, whom she had definitely inherited from. If there was one person Mitsumi could never get angry at, it was her own loving grandmother, even if she did manipulate and trick things a bit.

"Mitsumi-chan, you did amazing!" cried out Yuzu, clasping her hands together. "You've definitely improved a lot during your duels! Back then, you couldn't even hold a candle to any one of us, but now? You're incredible!"

 _'Well, guess faking and purposely losing is kinda out of the question,'_ thought Mitsumi, wondering about how her future duels with her friends should go.

Gongenzaka nodded. "Yes! That was surely a welcoming duel, especially after my duel with Yuya!"

"Wait, you dueled Yuya?"

Yuya said, "Yeah! Like, before we came here, my final duel to meet the requirements for entering the tournament was to duel Gongenzaka, and I won, so I'm qualified to enter!"

Mitsumi looked over to Gongenzaka worriedly. "Then...what about you, Gongenzaka?"

"Don't worry! I have other methods of meeting the qualifications as well, so you don't have to worry! Congratulations on winning the duel, though. Through your stern and calm demeanor during the duel, I can sense the fire within! You have definitely grown stronger, Mitsumi!"

"O-Oh, no, like I said, this was completely out of luck! I just got lucky!" assured Mitsumi, hoping to fan out the expectations for her being much more stronger. She still wanted to be viewed as the weakest duelist amongst her group of friends, even if she was seen as growing stronger.

"Mitsumi-chan, it would be such a waste if you only wore that butler outfit for just this duel, so how about a bit of a proposal?" requested Karis, winking at her. "Why not work here for just today?"

"E-Eh?!" exclaimed Mitsumi, shocked.

"Ooh! Say yes! I wanna see you in a cute maid outfit!" squealed Yuzu.

"I heard that the desserts here are especially delicious!" said Yuya before receiving a glare from his mother nearby. "N-Not that they're as good as yours or Mitsumi's, Mom!"

"Hmph! They better not! Though, I do want to try out the sweets here," said Yoko before turning to Yuya. "Don't get the wrong idea, though, Yuya! Maid cafes are still expensive and some are...inappropriate, which is why I don't really allow you to go in there, but, just this once, I'm willing to make an exception."

"I've never been to a maid café, before! It's like being in a bakery! I wanna try things out here!" said Ayu.

"Me too!" both Futoshi and Tatsuya cried out.

Karis grinned and announced, "Well, you folks are in luck, because this week only, we have everything half off! You'll still have to pay, of course, but the prices are much more cheaper compared to the original prices!"

The audience roared in happiness; their voices echoing and in so much high volume, the air slightly shook before the audience started rushing over towards the large maid café, intent on taking advantage of the half-priced meals and so forth, causing the duel arena to be vacant except for Karis, Mitsumi, and her friends.

"...Yeah, so give me a reason why I should agree to helping you for today?" Mitsumi whispered to Karis. "I barely know anything of how to run a maid café! And I am not wearing a maid outfit."

"Don't worry! I get the feeling that you'll be able to get accustomed to things real quickly, and my intuition's never failed me, before!" assured Karis. "Besides, despite our large staff, we do need more employees, even if for today."

"Yeah, but..."

"You won't even have to wear the maid outfit if you don't want to. Plus, you'll be paid handsomely..."

"...How much?"

* * *

 _Later..._

"Your omurice is ready, sir. Please enjoy."

Gongenzaka nodded. "Thank you, Mitsumi."

"Mitsumi-chan! Can you refill my juice, please? I'm all out!"

"Ah, coming, Sora! I-I mean, sir!"

"Mmm! I'm done with this plate!"

"I'll be right there, Yuzu! Urk! I mean, Miss!"

"I'd love another piece of cake, please!"

"Yok-I mean, I'll be with you shortly, Miss! Please give me a moment!"

After being given a generous offer by Karis to work for one full day, Mitsumi was fully devoted to working as one of the employees, managing her work well just like the other professional employees. In fact, several of the customers she's served has commented on how, despite how young she may be, that youthfulness has worked to her advantage as well as her precise and swift actions, serving with elegance and an air of coolness that may her stand out a lot from the other female butlers.

Mitsumi was starting to get used to her duty as one of the butler waiters. She's still a bit more clumsy, but as time passed, she spoke with a formal and polite tone, answering questions and taking orders as quickly as possible to serve the customers.

As Mitsumi was handing another table their orders, Mitsumi glanced back to Shuzo, who had been the cause of her having to participate in the tournament. A small, unnoticeable smirk formed on her face as she decided to take this opportunity to get back at him, even if a little.

"Sir, we have a very special dessert for you!" said Mitsumi, walking up to Shuzo a few minutes later, holding a cutely-decorated cake piece-like dessert in a plate before setting it down in front of her. "We still haven't come up with a name for it, but we'd like you to be amongst one of the few to eat it and test it out!"

Shuzo glanced down at the cake slice, and no matter how cute it looked, he had a feeling there was something more to it that gave him an uneased feeling. "Um...Mitsumi-chan? I never ordered something like this."

"Don't worry, it's just one of our test desserts! We like to...experiment on some of the possibly new desserts to other people, and if they like it enough, it'll be put in the menu! It's also free, so long as you finish the whole thing from scratch! If not, then you'll have to pay for the _highly expensive, full price_ of the dessert, even if today is a half-off event!~"

Yuzu, who was seated near Shuzo, smiled as she took a bite of her pie. "Don't worry, Dad! If it's too much, I can take some of it-"

"Oh, and I forgot to mention, you can't share it with other people, otherwise, it'll be seen as cheating," assured Mitsumi. "Good luck, sir."

Shuzo spoke up, "Wait...why would you want to give me something like this?"

"Other than the experimental customers being random, I just wanted to _repay you for giving me a reason to participate in the tournament,"_ spoke Mitsumi in a sickly, sweet tone that only Shuzo recognized as he shuddered from the comment. "Now, I have to go back to work, but I hope you enjoy. Like, _I really hope you enjoy."_

Shuzo gulped as he watched Mitsumi leave, writing down another customer's orders down her notepad before he turned back to his cute-looking cake piece. Well, it seemed harmless enough, so it should be fine...right?

He was instantly proven wrong the moment his taste buds kicked in. It tasted so...SALTY! Like, it was like eating a soft, squishy version of salt itself! Shuzo internally squealed and gulped down his entire drink in one fell swoop, panting before glaring at the abomination of the salt cake he took a bite out of. He was expected to eat THIS?! Granted, he should be lucky he's not eating the entire salty cake and instead has to eat the cake piece he was given, otherwise, he would have to pay the full price.

Why? Why was he given such a dessert? Shuzo recalled Mitsumi's previous words, specifically on the part when she said she wanted to repay him for making her participate in the tournament. Technically, he did kinda pressure her a little bit even though she didn't want to take part of it, so he could imagine that she must have been quite upset and pissed off at somewhat being forced to participate. Was this her way of "repaying" him back?

He glanced over to Mitsumi, who had just finished delivering foods to another table. He blinked twice, but he was certain he caught her smirking sinisterly at him. Yup, she definitely had to have been pissed off at the time when he convinced her to participate in the tournament, and the cake with the consequences of not finishing it himself was proof of her vengeance towards him. She turned slightly to face him from afar, pressing a finger to her lips as she shook her head slowly, giving him a clear message.

 _No one will believe you._

The frustrating part was, Shuzo knew that she was telling the truth. Who would think that sweet, kind, innocent, shy Mitsumi-chan could ever be capable of purposely delivering an EXTREMELY SALTY cake to her teacher? In fact, who would think that she would pull a prank or even so much as harm a poor little puppy? Yeah, no doubt nobody was going to believe Shuzo if he even thinks of telling them.

So, in order not to pay for the expensive price, Shuzo tearfully and cringingly started devouring the salty cake piece.

Knowing that her harmless revenge was complete, Mitsumi hummed to herself as she made her way to the front of the maid café, since it was now her turn to escort and become the next party's waitress. However, it may have proven bad luck to her right now, because...

"Ah, Mitsumi-chan! So, it was true! You are indeed working as an employee here! I must say, the maid outfit would suit you much better, but you look beautiful in anything you wear!"

….Shingo Sawatari and his friends.

On one half of her mind, Mitsumi wanted to throw down whatever she had and kick Shingo right where the sun doesn't shine. On the other, more reasonable half of her mind, it was to take advantage and possibly conjure up a harmless revenge against Shingo, just like what she did with Shuzo.

She chose the second option as a result.

"Hello, sir! You're just in luck. We have a table available for you and your friends," welcomed Mitsumi, moving out of the way. "Now, please follow me, and I will take you to your table."

Shingo smirked. "Ah, of course. Thank you ever so much. Perhaps a kiss will be reward-"

"Please note that customers are not allowed to touch the employees here in any manner whatsoever or else it will be considered sexual harassment."

"Ah, but perhaps a kiss to the cheek-"

"Sawatari-san, there are also students here from our school and they understand full well that touching me, a temporary employee, will result in being seen as sexually harassing me. I don't think you want that reputation to be spread at school."

"Tch! ...Fine, you've got a point, but next time we're alone, Mitsumi-chan, I'll be expecting a kiss!~"

 _'Not happening,'_ thought Mitsumi, still smiling sweetly. "Well, follow me! And you know, Sawatari-san, we're trying out some experimental desserts to possibly put on the menu, and I was hoping you'd like to try it out."

"Of course! Anything you'd deliver to me, I'd happily eat!"

"Oh, you are SO gonna regret those words..."

"Did you say something?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing! Let's go!"

* * *

 **Hehehe! I had a bit of fun with this chapter, especially towards the end! Yeah, Mitsumi was still a bit ticked off towards Shuzo, but we resolved that pretty simply. As for Shingo...well, she has more reason to dislike him, so I resolved things in a funny way!**

 **That said, yeah! This time, her duelist's deck is the newest archetype, Dragonmaid! Apparently, it was inspired from some other dragon maid anime involving someone named Kobayashi, and so forth. Also, Call Brig On Over, you were totally right! You were the first person to guess that Dragonmaids were definitely gonna be on this duel! Congratulations!**

 **Alright, now! So, this will be the last chapter for a while, because I'm busy with life and I wanna work on my other stories, so until next time, stay strong! Also, read and review!**


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